


Seeds of Knowledge

by Ice_Eagle



Series: Seeds of Knowledge [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Genin are like caffeine shots, Information science, Librarians, Librarians are tired, Libraries, Library, Library science, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, archives, archivists, library!Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Eagle/pseuds/Ice_Eagle
Summary: It starts with an Academy internship at the Konoha Library and Archives. The only problem is the Library/Archives has never had an intern before. Ever.Everyone is an idiot at the beginning. There is always room to grow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone appears in this first chapter. But they will in later updates.
> 
> There are OCs. If you don't like them, go away. Otherwise, enjoy.
> 
> I have absolutely no idea where this is going; I just know it's gonna be fun.

The Konoha Library was usually a place of peace and quiet, where patrons both public and military sought knowledge of all kinds. Built into Hokage Mountain, the Library has survived every disaster, incursion, and phenomena that took place since the Founding. The common misconception was that the reading rooms and library itself would be cramped and dark, with hardly room to move between the shelves. However, those who planned the Library had the foresight to create airy and spacious chambers that were possible to expand upon as the collections and Village population grew.

I cast a pleased eye over the main reading room (also known as the Seedling Room) from my chair at the circulation desk. It looked to be a slow day yet again; only a few patrons were currently sitting at tables reading this morning, and I gazed down at the scroll I was attempting to process for Collections to place in the appropriate location. I tilted my head as I looked at the illustrations. I couldn't decide if it was a scroll about partnered taijutsu or another sex guide.

Honestly, given the sender of the scroll was Jiraiya, it could have been either. I tilted the scroll and tried to look at it upside down and in reverse. Looking at it from left to right instead of right to left helped some, but...

A muffled scream and thump could be heard as I rotated the text yet again. Maybe reading bottom-up from the left side this time would work...?

Another thump, then a screech. My eyes widened in realization.

I had the orientation of the scroll right, but it had to be read from the top _down_. Interesting. Easy to interpret, but interesting. No code, which meant either this _was_ a sex guide or the previous owner was confident it wouldn't be stolen. Or the taijutsu scroll wasn't genuine. I flagged it as a double-check for coding before setting it aside on top of the Collections seal. Once placed there it glowed softly and a moment later a quiet pop was heard before it disappeared. 

Another scream, higher-pitched this time. Hmmm. 

As I picked another item from the Incoming pile I saw Hyuuga Hoheto (one of our regulars) lift his head from his scroll. He raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged and unrolled the new text.

Thieves triggered trap seals all the time. Or it was someone who got past the seals and then eaten by something in the collection. Some scrolls and other items were forbidden for a reason. We at the Library and Archives were all for the pursuit of knowledge, but when the Hokage comes down and seals a scroll or other item, it is _not to be opened_. However, death or dismemberment only seemed to work for the very persistent. 

Fools were very persistent.

Another screech. I sighed at Hoheto, "Please ignore it. It looks like we have quite the number of infiltrators this morning. Natsu and Katsumi are going to have a field day."

He winced, thinking of his cousin Natsu and her enthusiastic Yamanaka partner over in T&I, before looking back at his scroll, "You said it."

"I'll renew the muffling jutsu in a moment."

"I appreciate it, Kitō-san."

I made the appropriate handseals and cast my chakra, but not before one last shout and yelp rang out. It was excellent timing, too, since Iruka and a child walked in at the exact same time.

Hoheto snorted in amusement as Iruka immediately stopped in the doorway, a look of alarm crossing his face. The child behind him immediately crashed into his back. I hastily looked back down at my scroll on my desk before Iruka could see me laugh.

I wasn't surprised to see Iruka--he brought classes through here periodically when the students were just starting at the Academy--but I was surprised to see the student behind him. Haruno-san usually came alone when she wanted to research in the library, and she had cleaned out practically everything available for her current clearance level and capabilities as a soon-to-be-graduated student. We had all thought we'd see her several months from now, after she got settled with her new genin team at the end of the year. It wasn't like she needed to study to graduate.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I asked as they approached, "Iruka-sensei, what is this? We thought we wouldn't see either of you until after the final exams."

"Amaya-san," Iruka's voice was full of that charm he used to trick other ninja into doing his bidding. My hackles immediately went up. "Haruno-san is here as an intern."

I wasn't falling for it and my face must have reflected it. His smile brightened.

My eyes narrowed, "The Library and the Archives have never accepted interns, Iruka-sensei. We are nowhere on the list. I know this, and you know this, because we go through the same paperwork and arguments every year."

It was true. The internship program was to help hone prospective graduates' various skills before they graduated and to start funneling them into ideal specializations. Internships were usually tailored to their strengths and preferences as students developed throughout their time at the Academy. Typically they were six weeks long, although students could have the option of keeping up with it for the first couple years of their time as genin upon graduation. From there they usually had a good idea of what they wanted to do and had the drive to develop their skills further on their own.

The Library and Archives usually kept out of it because a) most viewed work at the Library/Archives exceedingly boring, b) work at the library was _actually_ exceedingly dangerous, but no one knew that, and c) the Curator and, by extension, the staff, were exceedingly picky. Also crazy. The clashes between the Curator and the other administrative heads in Konoha were legendary.

"My student is highly capable-"

I raised an eyebrow at the child next to him. She only ducked her head.

"-and has expressed an interest in how we share knowledge and maintain secrecy in the village."

Still wasn't falling for it.

"Haruno-san is well known here at the library, Iruka-sensei," I said dryly, "Her reading appetite is voracious, her memory impeccable and critical thinking excellent. This makes her an ideal paper ninja, but not necessarily a good Librarian or Keeper. Or Chronicler. She might be better off in Tactical."

"She's one of the top students in her class-"

"That's nice," I interrupted pleasantly, "But I-"

"-and was recommended by the Dean of Students himself."

I blinked. While that didn't mean much normally, the Dean of Students was one of the few who got along with the Curator on a regular basis, from what we could tell from their rants at Council meetings. In this particular instance, the Dean of Students' word carried weight. And possible ramifications if we refused.

Iruka smirked.

The resulting yelp that echoed in the library space from whacking his hands on the desk was gratifying.

"What was that for?!"

I casually placed the enormous encyclopedia back on my desk and rolled my eyes, "You should have led with that, you idiot."

"Like that would have made you accept off the bat."

I stared at him. Haruno giggled. I could also see Hoheto's shoulders shaking in the corner of my eye.

"You," I pointed at him, "Made me waste my time. The runaround was impractical and irritating at best. If you do that again, I'll gift you the Dean's ears. As bookmarks. With ribbons."

I turned my gaze to Haruno, "You're coming with me, kid. Iruka, get out."

"...The _Dean's_ ears, Kitō-san?" Iruka faltered under my gimlet stare.

I tucked my hands under my chin and smiled sweetly, "Would you rather I removed _your_ ears, Iruka-sensei?" 

Iruka yelped, "I'd rather not have anyone's ears! See you in six weeks, Haruno-chan!" and darted through the doorway.

The door shut quietly behind him and I looked at the student in front of me.

There was a long silence. I tilted my head.

"Well," I said finally. Haruno perked up. "It looks like that muffling jutsu is working well."

She drooped, "Yes, Kitō-san."

I sighed, "-sensei to you, tiny student. At least they gave us the one person most likely to survive interning here for six weeks."

Haruno raised her head, "You mean...you're not sending me back?"

I flapped a hand at her and relaxed back in my chair, "Honestly, it'd be too much work at this point. In addition to the fact that you obey library protocols, are a stickler for the rules--that will serve you well for now but we may have to break you of the habit later--" She frowned but I ignored it, "--you'll do alright here, I think. Maybe. Possibly."

" 'Possibly'?" Haruno's voice faltered and her hands formed into fists, "I want to be better than 'possibly', Kitō-sensei."

I sighed, "Well, if you mean to survive, and not only survive, but flourish, you have to be _the best_ , Haruno-san. We at the Library and Archives accept nothing less. But that, thank all the little gods, is not for me to decide."

"It's not?"

I snorted, "Of course not. You've got to meet the Curator. Off we go. Hyuuga-san, don't let anyone burn down the Seedling Room while we're gone."

Hoheto looked up from his scroll and nodded.

"Th-the Curator?"

I grinned down at the student next to me, "Don't worry, Haruno-san, it'll all work out."

"Well," I amended, "Probably."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working on building library/archival culture in this 'verse. God knows that it's going to take some work. If you have suggestions or are a fellow librarian and have some ideas for library culture (I am coming from Hapless University Librarian standpoint), please comment or message me. 
> 
> Fact checkers, check away. I stopped reading the manga years before it finally ended and while I have a general idea of how things turned out I don't know all the fiddly details. Canon will also be ignored at will (ex. character deaths. Fuck that). 
> 
> Yes, Konoha is a military dictatorship. However, I think it's blindingly obvious to everyone ever that it is not a _normal_ military dictatorship, so I think information blackouts and everything along that line is not necessarily standard or even used. We'll see.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They put their head in their hands.
> 
> "When I said that we needed to liven things up here in the Library, Kitō-chan-"
> 
> "Yeah?"
> 
> "This is not what I meant."
> 
> "Too late."

Haruno was quiet while we moved behind the front desk in the Seedling room and through the following door to the staff-only areas. The hallways were well-lit, and for all they were hewn from solid stone our steps didn't echo. No other librarians could be seen, but I wasn't surprised after hearing all the attempted break-ins from this morning. Most of the staff were likely bagging them up for T&I, a few others would be needed to check on the materials they attempted to steal, and the rest remained at their stations in the Library/Archives.

"I don't think I've met the Curator before, Kitō-sensei," Haruno piped up.

I waved a hand lazily at Haruno as we moved down the hallway, then up some stairs to the third floor, "Oh, I'm sure you have at least once. You probably didn't realize it. Curator-sama is like that."

"What do you mean?"

I paused, considering.

The silence stretched.

I opened my mouth, closed it. "It's not exactly--explainable."

"What?"

"You'll see."

"I thought you were supposed to answer questions," Haruno grumbled.

I ruffled her hair, laughing as she ducked away from me, "You're on the _other_ side of the Library/Archives now, Haruno-chan, you'll find it considerably more frustrating." 

"Great," she muttered.

"It is!" I said cheerfully, ignoring her sulking, "Now you've got to the _really_ fun stuff. All you have to do is work for it. You'll see! Well, if Curator-sama lets you."

We paused outside Curator-sama's office. I looked down at Haruno and raised an eyebrow. She nodded firmly and I raised my hand to knock.

"Come in." The door opened soundlessly without Haruno or I touching it.

Used to this, I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue at Curator-sama, "Really? You never let me knock anymore."

Curator-sama's office looked like any of the staff offices on the other floors. The only difference is the ceilings were higher. The head of the Library/Archives didn't see the point in denoting any decoration or symbolism signifying where their office was. If they needed to be found by staff, staff knew where to find them. There were significantly fewer break-ins by intruders this way.

"I don't let _anyone_ knock anymore. You know that, Kitō-chan, you're not that special."

"Gee, thanks," I said dryly, "Anyway, Curator-sama, this is Haruno-chan, the Dean of Students booted her over for the internship program--Haruno-chan? What's up?"

My tiny student had followed me into the office but froze halfway to the desk. Her eyes were snapped shut and her fists were clenched. I made to take a step towards her but Curator-sama flicked their fingers at me to stop.

"You didn't warn her, did you?"

I blinked. "About what?"

"Kitō-sensei, I feel sick." Haruno whimpered, "Why am I seeing the cabbage guy? And the lady with Tora the cat? And the Academy instructor for the first years? And--so many people?"

"Cabbage guy? That's a new one," I noted, side-eyeing Curator-sama.

They only sighed. "Haruno-san, fix an image of someone from what you just saw on your mind, and open your eyes."

"Will that work?" I said doubtfully.

"She saw through my kekkei genkai as soon as she walked through the door," they said dryly, "Haruno is classified as a genjutsu-type, and from her visits here we know she has a well-disciplined mind. Besides," they added, almost as an afterthought, "It did for you."

I translated that to, 'I'm not sure, I don't really care, and besides, this is interesting.' Sometimes Curator-sama was the _worst_.

"You're actually, objectively awful. Besides, you thought I was a fluke."

"Shut up. Haruno-san, open your eyes."

My tiny student blinked. Then blinked again. Tilted her head to one side, then the other.

"Have I stopped changing shapes?" Curator-sama prompted.

Haruno nodded, "What is-was-"

"Congratulations," Curator-sama's voice was as dry as Wind Country, "You're the fourth person ever to sense and break through my kekkei genkai. The last person to do that was Kitō-chan."

Her eyes widened and she bowed, "It is an honor to meet you, Curator-sama!"

I snorted as Curator-sama replied, "If only I had something to record that. 'An honor to meet you', indeed."

Haruno only looked between the two of us, utterly confused. 

I grinned at her, "Ignore that, Haruno-chan. Curator-sama, as I was saying--"

"--booted over by the Dean for the internship program, I know," Curator-sama finished for me wearily, "Ears. Bookmarks. It's going to happen."

"I'm sure it is, Curator-sama." I said soothingly.

"We don't _do_ interns, Kitō-chan."

"I know, Curator-sama."

"It sets an awful precedent. I can't allow it."

"Of course, Curator-sama." Feeling brave, I leaned over to pat them on the head. When they didn't immediately toss me across the room, I patted them a few more times before my self-preservation instinct pulled me back.

"The very _idea_."

"I know, Curator-sama,"

They put their head in their hands, "When I said that we needed to liven things up here in the Library, Kitō-chan-"

"Yeah?"

"This is not what I meant."

"Too late."

"Can we send her back?"

"Nope." I eyeballed Haruno out of the corner of my eye. She was looking more and more dejected the longer we talked. Normally, I wasn't one for caring about tiny students, but--she reminded me of me, at her age. Damn.

I made a snap decision, "You always said," I noted thoughtfully, "It takes a special kind of person with a certain kind of mind to work in the Library and the Archives."

"So?"

"She broke your kekkei genkai, Curator-sama."

That was pretty big. Curator-sama had been head of the Library/Archives for decades, which meant they'd been collecting materials for said Library/Archives for just as long. Obviously, this implied numerous infiltration missions to other towns, cities, and countries. Which meant encountering lots of other shinobi. Which meant not getting caught. Something that Curator-sama's kekkei genkai was excellent at.

Except Haruno saw through it as soon as she saw Curator-sama for the first time.

Which meant either she had serious potential, or Curator-sama was getting soft. Seeing as how I did not have any suicidal inclinations, I rather thought it was the former, and not the latter, and resolved to never voice the possibility in Curator-sama's hearing, which staff gossip claimed was the entire complex. I had witnessed enough phenomena over the years to not question it.

They said grudgingly, "That's true." Haruno began to perk up.

I added coaxingly, "We know she has a strong work ethic and drive to better herself, Curator-sama."

"She could have easily gone to Tactical or somewhere else that's _not here_ ," They lifted their head to stare at Haruno. She stiffened as she heard their question,"Why did you want to intern here at the Library/Archives, Haruno?"

I was curious about Haruno's answer myself. It can't have been just the Dean endorsing her; it would take considerable convincing on her part to get the Dean's recommendation, and it must have been a lot of work persuading Iruka-sensei to agree to the idea as well.

Granted, the Dean was perverse enough to agree to the internship just because he was feeling contrary. And sometimes spiteful. But things had been smooth sailing since the last Council meeting, so I doubted that was as likely.

Haruno shifted her feet from side to side and bit her lip. "Um. Knowledge, Curator-sama?" 

They raised an eyebrow, "Elaborate."

"You all, um," she stuttered, then burst out, "The Library/Archives provide knowledge to the village! It's what makes the village strong! And, um," her voice petered out.

Curator-sama sighed, "Yes?"

She looked up through her eyelashes, "The Library/Archives have access to the village's secrets and stuff. So I mean--the strongest shinobi have to be guarding our secrets, right? That's what makes a village."

I blinked, "That's one way of looking at it."

Emboldened by my comment and Curator-sama's silence, Haruno added, "S-rank shinobi protecting S-rank secrets! Shannaro!" she pumped her fist in the air, "And," her voice got quieter and more serious, "I don't want to be left behind by my teammates."

I mouthed, 'S-rank shinobi protecting S-rank secrets' to myself. I almost missed Curator-sama asking Haruno to clarify.

Haruno lifted her head, "I'm the top kunoichi in my class, Curator-sama. And Sasuke-kun," she blushed, "Is going to be Rookie of the Year. And they always put us and the last of the class together to balance things out. Naruto," she frowned, "Is an idiot, but his stamina and taijutsu are better than me, even if he doesn't really learn well in class."

"So why do you think you'll be left behind?" Curator-sama's voice was bland.

Haruno drooped, "Sasuke's an Uchiha. But I don't have a kekkei genkai and my stamina is really really bad. All I've got is what's in my head, and I'm _good_ at that, Curator-sama. But I need to be better. And I want to learn from the best and become a Librarian."

"Not an ANBU?" I fought to keep the laughter out of my voice.

She shook her head, "No, Kitō-sensei. I think Librarians are stronger."

I turned away quickly, my shoulders shaking. "Curator-sama, _why_ don't you have a voice recorder in here?"

"Of all the days not to have one, " Curator-sama sounded pained, "And this happens."

" 'S-rank shinobi protecting S-rank secrets'. We could make that our new motto."

"Don't start."

"Wait until the ANBU commander hears about _this_."

"Well, it's not like she's wrong," Curator-sama started rooting around in their desk.

I cackled out loud as I turned back around, "I know! That's what makes it even better!"

"Kitō-sensei? Curator-sama?" Haruno looked completely lost. I moved to stand back next to her and ruffled her hair.

"Congratulations _again_ , Haruno-san," Curator-sama pulled out a black and silver lanyard with a name card inside, "You're the first intern we've ever had. Here's hoping you don't die before the six weeks is up. Put that on. It's keyed to your chakra so you don't trigger the traps. Wear it openly in Staff areas only."

Haruno's expression was quizzical and she looped it over her head and slipped it under her shirt, "Wouldn't someone kill to have this, Curator-sama?" then the rest of what they said caught up to her and she lit up, "I'm staying?!"

I sighed, "Oh, to be that young and excited about working here again. It's almost nostalgic."

"Don't remind me," Curator-sama muttered, then waved a hand at us, "Shoo. And Haruno-san."

"Yes, Curator-sama?" We turned back from the office doorway.

"I'm going to ask you that question again at the end of your internship. You need to have an even better answer for me."

Haruno bowed, "Yes, Curator-sama."

The door shut behind us as soundlessly as the first time.

I looked down at my (for real) tiny student. She looked back at me. I grinned.

"Welcome to the Library/Archives, Haruno-chan! Let's get your orientation started!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves, guys, there will be exposition in the next chapter. Lots of exposition. Yay world building!
> 
> This will update every other week.


	3. Sakura 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have always wanted a disciple!"
> 
> "Hisakawa. That's not how having an intern works."
> 
> "Are you _sure_?"
> 
> Orientation goes differently than Sakura expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is slightly more exposition, and Chapter 4 will be similar for the sake of story momentum.
> 
> To fellow librarians: I think y'all can agree I'm not going to be able to cover the entirety of shinobi library and information science in a couple chapters; that's totally unrealistic and would drive readers away faster than lemmings jumping off a cliff. It's probably going to be a slow build, and I want to have something solid, especially once I get farther along in canon (God help me when the other Hidden Villages make an appearance). Please comment and message with suggestions or ideas. I'm academic, remember, and more perspectives are always welcome, especially when it comes to public librarianship and other types of population needs.

"The thing is," Kitō-sensei put a hand on my shoulder and we began to move away from Curator-sama's office, "I'm not sure what to start orienting you on, versus you picking up on your own. And how much to tell you regardless."

I was curious. "What do you mean, Kitō-sensei?"

"Think of it this way," said the librarian, "You are a tiny student, and you haven't graduated yet. Up until this point, only full-fledged ninja have worked in the Library/Archives."

" 'S-class ninja for S-class secrets'," I repeated to myself.

Kitō-sensei hummed in agreement, "Right. So you, as the absolute weakest member of our team, are very, very vulnerable. If I were a foreign shinobi, and I knew that you worked there, I would be salivating to get you in my hands so I could learn everything about the Konoha Library/Archives, in order to steal what I wanted from it."

I winced as I thought of the interrogation techniques we learned at the beginning of the year. And that was the _milder_ stuff, if that was even possible. "Oh."

"So you can understand," Kitō-sensei continued as we headed down the stairs, "While I'm happy that you're going to be working with us, and I think you'll learn a lot, I do have some concerns. So besides learning what we do--which won't necessarily be everything yet, as you don't have all the clearance required--we'll get you started on some techniques and habits that'll serve you well lifelong, besides while you're in our care."

I couldn't figure out if the nerves in my stomach were from apprehension or excitement. Maybe both? "Like what, Kitō-sensei?"

"Evasion techniques," she answered promptly. We were now in the same hallway that connected to the Seedling Room, but all she did was stick her head through the adjoining door, yell a couple things, have something hollered at her in response, and close it before motioning me to follow after her. Remembering that we were in Staff-only areas now, I pulled out the lanyard with my intern tag from under my shirt, letting it swing freely.

"Evasion," Kitō-sensei continued, "Is one of the most important fundamentals as a shinobi, and something that we at the Library/Archives pride ourselves on. To do that, you have to be fast, you have to be flexible, and you have to adapt to various scenarios quickly. I say 'scenarios' and not 'battle scenarios' because more than one type of situation comes up in the Library/Archives. We'll also find someone who can up your physical conditioning, if it's as bad as you say--"

"It's probably worse," I grumbled. Stupid Sasuke-kun. Stupid dieting. Stupid Ino-pig. I got the internship I wanted, and now I was as good as bait for enemy shinobi. Dammit!

Kitō-sensei patted my shoulder comfortingly,"-then I think Gai-sensei will be best, and I believe him to be moderately discreet when the occasion calls for it. He isn't affiliated with us here, but I think he'll take you on anyway for the sake of 'youth'. While you won't achieve miraculous results in six weeks, you'll start to get a solid foundation for when you graduate. Plus," her lips twitched, "Gai-sensei is good for training in the, ahem," she coughed, "unexpected. And chakra control; we have a _lot_ of traps and seals here, Haruno-chan, and you don't want to get caught in any of them, trust me."

"I have the top chakra control in my class, I think," I volunteered as we turned the corner.

Kitō-sensei looked down at me, "I know, and I'm glad you volunteered that. Self-effacement doesn't have a place here, Haruno-chan. We who work here can't help others or ourselves without being forthright in what we're looking for. Does that make sense?"

I nodded, "Yes, Kitō-sensei!"

" 'Kitō-sensei'," she muttered, "Gods above."

"What, Kitō-sensei?"

"Ignore that, tiny student. What was I saying? Ah, yes. Chakra control. A lot of what we do here requires extremely fine chakra control; we're as good as any of the medic-nin in the hospitals, just in a different direction. You'll see."

I decided that the butterflies in my stomach were from excitement. I was really going to learn all of this during my internship? It sounded _amazing_. And slightly scary. But mostly awesome.

"I can't wait, Kitō-sensei!"

"I can," she sighed, "Hisakawa is going to have a field day when he finds out we have an intern. Scratch that. Everyone is going to lose their godsdamned minds."

I was a little confused, "Hisakawa-san? What do you mean, sensei?"

My teacher's face was stuck between a smirk and a grimace, "You'll see, Haruno-chan. I'll introduce you to everyone as we go. In this case, Hisakawa is the head of Cataloging. But remember when Curator-sama said you're the first intern here at the Library/Archives? They weren't kidding."

"Oh."

"You're also the youngest staff member ever. I would not be surprised if you got adopted by half the librarians before the first week is out."

" _Oh_."

"Of course," she added, as we headed towards a door marked 'Collections', "The other half may say they'll reserve further judgement until you prove yourself, but they're actually pretty decent people too. We'll see how it goes. You'll be fine. Probably."

I glared up at Kitō-sensei, "Are you going to say that a lot?"

She grinned at me, "Until we see how you do? Definitely."

I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway," she continued, "Back to basics. We're going to start with Collections and Cataloging--the door says 'Collections' but it's really both departments because you can never find Hisakawa in his office--close your mouth, Haruno-chan, we don't have bugs here but your jaw will get sore if you leave it that way."

I couldn't stop staring. I vaguely registered a finger on my chin shutting my mouth with a click, but my eyes were focused on the room in front of me.

There were books. Everywhere. And scrolls in piles all along the walls, and librarians perched all over the place--seriously, there were staff on the bookshelves, there were staff sitting cross-legged on top of the tables, there were more staff laying on the ceiling sitting on--were those stone branches?--and reading with even _more_ material stacked up next to them. Librarians were tucked in alcoves in the stone walls with lamps beside them to illuminate their desks while they worked. Nobody actually seemed to be using the chairs to sit, just stack more books and scrolls. An occasional pop could be heard and seals would flash before another book or other item could be seen laying on top of them. The librarian by those seals would take a look at the tag attached to the scroll (or material, as it seemed all kinds of things popped up on those seals) and would toss it to some predetermined staff member in a pattern I couldn't discern. There were a few skylights scattered around to provide extra ambient light. It was chaotic. It was cluttery. I couldn't discern any sense to the madness.

It was _magnificent_.

"Oh, boy," Kitō-sensei's voice was amused, "I think someone's happy."

I nodded and leaned against Kitō-sensei's side to ground myself. I was grateful for the support when Kitō-sensei let out a shrill whistle and every head in the room popped up to stare at us.

"Hey, everyone!" She called out cheerfully, "This is Haruno Sakura-chan, our-"

"Oh, my gods," someone on the ceiling shrieked. I jumped, "Did we finally get an intern?"

"Dammit, Hisakawa," Kitō-sensei tried to be grouchy but we could all tell she wasn't serious, "Yes, we have an intern, be nice-"

"YES!" A figure stood up from their branch on the ceiling and dropped right in front of us. 

He was very, very tall. The man looked to have a few inches over Kitō-sensei, and she was one of the tallest women I had ever seen. His hitae-ate sat on his forehead, and his black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes, a warm brown, looked at me with excitement and he wore a huge grin. His uniform was rumpled and he looked slightly manic, like Naruto when he was about to get away with a prank or when he was too excited to pay attention in class. I resolved to stay on his good side at all costs, though from how excited he seemed about having an intern, it looked like that wouldn't be hard.

"Your hair is pink. Your hair is _pink_ ," He gushed, "Oh, my gods, this is so awesome, we're gonna have the cutest intern ever-"

"Hisakawa," Kitō-sensei was trying very hard not to laugh while some of the other librarians came up to us. The staff still at their stations waved at us and I returned it shyly before they went back to work, "You could always start by saying 'hello', you know, and introducing yourself--"

"I have always wanted a disciple!" Hisakawa-san declared, holding out a hand for me to shake. I took it with a sense of bemusement.

"Hisakawa. That's not how having an intern works."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yes, I am sure. Absolutely. Gods help us. The notion of you with a disciple is terrifying."

"Hey, you have a disciple!"

"I moved faster than you did," Sensei's voice was smug, "And Curator-sama likes me more."

"Lies!"

Technically that wasn't true. All I did was walk through the Library doors. But I wasn't going to say anything--I _did_ want to be as good as Kitō-sensei one day.

Not that I was sure, exactly, what she did. Anyone who could make Iruka-sensei run away like that--and he worked with Hokage-sama, gossip said--was both awesome and really scary.

I was gonna be _just_ like her. And then Sasuke-kun would notice me!

Hisakawa-san turned from glaring at my sensei and smiled at me, "My name is Hisakawa Minoru, and I hope you enjoy your time with us, Haruno-chan!" He bowed over my hand and I blushed a little before taking it back. 

"Hisakawa, you're freaking her out," another librarian nudged him aside before bending over a little to meet my eyes, "Ignore him, he's a moron," we both ignored Hisakawa's "Hey!" and he continued, "but he's our moron who's unfortunately really good at cataloging, or we would have tossed him out ages ago. I'm Nara Daen. Head of Collections. I work with Hisakawa on the daily. I think my clan head's son is in your class."

I brightened, "Shikamaru? Yes, he is."

Nara-san smiled lazily, "Knew it. Good thing he's not interning here, or _I'd_ be the one keeping an eye on him. I've got my own work to do as it is. It'd be too troublesome."

I giggled quietly and looked up at Kitō-sensei, who was watching us all with a smile, "Shikamaru says that a lot too."

"Don't I know it," Hisakawa-san jabbed Nara-san in the side, "He's not as bad as his main family though."

Kitō-sensei sighed, " _Boys_."

They split apart with good-natured grumbling and made room for the others to introduce themselves to us. All in all there were several different librarians who worked solely in the Collections department, although I didn't get to meet all of them because they were working, and others came in during the night shift. Hisakawa-san was the only one I could identify as Cataloging staff, and that was because Kitō-sensei had told me.

Kitō-sensei, after several minutes, said our goodbyes and moved us along, explaining all the while, "So there are several different departments and people needed to run the Library/Archives."

"Okay." I nodded my head. After seeing the chaos that was Collections/Cataloging, I was not surprised.

"So Collections and Cataloging work together to handle the materials we get sent from shinobi in the field, along with stuff brought back on missions. The seals are an important part of that, as you can tell. Basically the two departments take everything we receive, figure out the best spot for it and make a record of it so it can be found by staff, or by shinobi depending on their clearance level. Hisakawa, for all that he acts like a dork sometimes, really did miraculous work in making Cataloging more efficient for Collections. Although it looked crazy in there, there _is_ a system for where everything goes, and how it all works. To make it simpler for you, Nara makes sure everything in Collections has its proper place. Hisakawa ensures that there's evidence of it."

I blinked, thought of the public libraries, and how much work I saw this department handling with _just_ shinobi materials, and asked, "Then what about the civilian libraries, Kito-sensei, around Konoha? Does Collections and Cataloging work with them too?"

"The civilian libraries-" my teacher stopped herself, lips pursed, and started again, "Okay, I didn't start explaining in the right spot. So there are three library systems, or sometimes you'll hear us call them information systems, at least in Konoha. There's the Main Library, which is mostly for shinobi, although sometimes we have civilian experts or consultants that have special permission to browse the stuff here. There's the civilian branch libraries in Konoha, which are scattered throughout the city districts. Then there's the Konoha Archives, which is stuff like mission reports, government documents, heritage preservation, things like that. Whoever is in charge of it all is called Curator-sama. You met them earlier today. Then there's System Heads and Departments and all that sort of thing, but you don't need to know that yet. Basically Curator-sama knows all, and we all ask 'how high?' when they say 'jump'. Unless you're Hisakawa, then you'll create a new cataloging system, because Hisakawa is ridiculous. Okay so far?"

I giggled. Hisakawa _was_ ridiculous, but everyone seemed to like him.

Sensei continued, "So what I just explained about Collections and Cataloging a second ago is how it works for the Main Library. There's a bit of a different process for each information system. You'll probably be mostly working in the Main Library, as you're going to be a shinobi one day, and you'll learn a bit about the civilian libraries and the Archives too, but that will be later on in your internship, or even afterwards if you make it through. Make sense?"

I blinked, "...Moooooostly," I drew the word out, "I feel like this is something I'm going to learn as I go."

Kito-sensei smiled consolingly, "There is a lot, Sakura-chan, and you'll get to it eventually. Probably not everything in six weeks, considering we have other stuff we need to teach you, but you'll get there. And then maybe at the end, if the traps and everything else don't get you, you'll want to keep working with us too."

I drew myself up to my full height, "I won't disappoint you, Kito-sensei!"

My teacher paused in the corridor--I lost track a hallway or two back where we were, and was just following her lead now. She bent her head towards me, a serious gaze on her face.

"It's not a matter of 'disappointing me', Haruno-chan, although I appreciate what you meant," she said softly, "It's a matter of being sure that being one of us here at the Library/Archives is what you want. You've got serious potential, but if you're not doing what makes you happy here, what you're really _good_ at, you may find you're better off somewhere else. There is nothing wrong with that, I promise. Being staff here is a _lot_ of work, Sakura, and a serious decision. Remember that at the end of your internship."

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, Kito-sensei!"

She straightened up, a grin lighting up her face, "Awesome. Let's keep going. You've got a lot to learn, tiny student. Now we're going to head to my favorite department, although don't tell them that because I love them all equally, according to gossip."

"What's that?"

"Circulation!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those concerned, I will not write each and every interaction Sakura has with every department one right after the other; that would set a really plodding pace. There will be exposition next chapter, but things will start to get fun (if you guys thought that it hasn't been already, in which case you're remarkably persistent and I admire you).
> 
> Also, I like the idea of writing about well-adjusted shinobi. They have to be lurking around in the Narutoverse _somewhere_ , why not in the libraries?
> 
> Still updating every other week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kitō-sensei? Isn't there a Morino in T&I?"
> 
> I hummed thoughtfully, "I don't know," I raised an eyebrow at her, "Is there?"
> 
> She shuddered.
> 
> We snuck out the way we came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pleased beyond words that so many people have liked this story. While I'm writing it mostly for myself as a creative outlet, I am really glad you all are commenting and leaving kudos, that means a lot me, and I appreciate it. It's really fun hearing from everyone.
> 
> I'm about to get socked in the face by a hurricane, so good luck to me! It's gonna be fun. So if there are any late updates due to power outages, that's probably why.
> 
> Also, I said I wasn't going to write every interaction with every department. 
> 
> I might have lied.

On our way over to Circulation I introduced Haruno-chan to some of the other departments--Assessment, which kept track of which books and scrolls were viewed the most, and which weren't, along with the most theft attempts and intruder captures, etcetera, as well as a bunch of other statistics that went over my tiny student's head.

_"I told you!" Morino-san screeched as she chased her assistant around their shared office, "I told you Yamanaka would get the most captures this month! Your ass is mine!"_

_"No it's not!" he yelped, vaulting over a desk towards the doorway to the rest of the Assessment staff, Morino right behind him, "I still got the projections for chuunin-material circulation right!"_

_"Who cares?" his supervisor hollered, "Not me!"_

_A "You should!" floated back before cutting off with a squawk._

_We stared from the doorway connecting to the rest of the Library._

_Sakura blinked. I put a hand on her shoulder, "I find it better not to ask. Ever. Do not ever, ever ask. Only read the written report every quarter."_

_"Yes, Kitō-sensei."_

_"And do not bet against **anyone** in the Assessment department, tiny student."_

_"Yes, Kitō-sensei."_

_A pause._

_"Kitō-sensei? Isn't there a Morino in T &I?"_

_I hummed thoughtfully, "I don't know," I raised an eyebrow at Sakura, "Is there?"_

_She shuddered._

_We snuck out the way we came._

Outreach, who worked with the civilian libraries so that our non-shinobi populace didn't scream in terror or sprint away when Konoha ninja were hopping about, and also tried to keep shinobi and civilians alike aware of what different materials and services we had on offer, and what civilians and shinobi could expect from each other.

_"Kitō-sensei! They're so cute!" My tiny student's voice was muffled, as she was buried under a bunch of civilian and shinobi clan toddlers, some dozing and others cuddling while she read them a story, 'Sango and the Sneaky Shinobi Summons', a longtime favorite. I grinned at her and nodded._

_We were at the other entrance to the Main Library (which was an atrium carved into the base of Hokage Mountain, and filled with plants, with a sprawling live oak at the center) and it was Silly Storytime, one of the integrated civilian and shinobi outreach programs. They always needed volunteers, and Sakura seemed enthusiastic, so I gave her the go-ahead. A couple ninja walked around while the volunteers were reading, adding special effects like small flames or sparks when the story called for it. It was a gentle way to introduce civilian children to Konoha ninja, and shinobi children to civilian children. Plus, they all practiced reading together whenever the volunteers made a 'mistake'. The children latched onto Sakura as soon as she was in range, pushed a book into her hands, and promptly settled in for a story. She didn't disappoint either, using all kinds of voices and helping the children act out the parts._

_I tilted my head slightly in acknowledgement of my shadow behind me, "Yes?"_

_"We really got an intern? I thought that was one of Admin's red herrings," Saito-san kept his voice low so he didn't draw the children's attention._

_"Yep, we do!" I replied cheerfully, "Umino-san went to bat for her, and she apparently got the Dean's permission." ___

_We both considered the idea of Sakura making her case before the Dean._

_"Really." The Head of Outreach narrowed his eyes slightly and I hummed in acknowledgement, "There's a thought."_

_Sakura was wrapping up the story before he spoke again, "Tell her she's welcome to participate whenever she likes."_

___I gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded and disappeared with a flurry of leaves as Sakura gave the children final hugs goodbye._

Also Administration, which sounded super boring (and, considering what I experienced of Administration, knew was super boring), who made sure paperwork got where it was supposed to go, and did the bureaucratic song and dance with the Main Library, the Archives, and the Civilian branches. Yes, they were necessary, but gosh darn if it didn't get tedious sometimes, which is also why Administrative staff floated between their department and another one every few months or so, to keep their toes in, so to speak, and keep from getting burned out from doing paperwork all day.

_All we did there was stick our heads in their office, get acknowledged by the staff working there, wave, and step back out._

_Sakura wouldn't need to get more involved than that until she was farther advanced in the ranks, if she chose to stick with becoming a Librarian._

Reference, who were the front-desk librarians that could be found in the reading rooms and 'public' sections of the Main Library and the Archives. The Civilian Branches had their own Reference department as well. Their work desks were scattered in each of the reading rooms, at the entrance of each building, and the librarians themselves not only sat at their stations but moved amongst the tables and reading rooms periodically in case patrons needed help. We were back in the Seedling Room, where Sakura and Iruka first found me. Their job was pretty straightforward--aid patrons to find what they were looking for, and keep an eye out for trouble.

 _Any_ kind of trouble.

 _"My sensei said something about fuuinjustu, but I don't know where to start," said a hapless-looking genin to one of the Reference librarians, "What do you think?"_

_At another desk a patron was explaining with a very reasonable tone of voice just why they needed to access the clearance section above their own for a reference for this particular jutsu they were hoping to learn, and of course they didn't have a permission pass from their superior or a shinobi ranked above them but they were sure just this once that it would be fine-_

_-The librarian they were talking to had a kind and considerate expression on their face, but because I had worked with them before I knew they had grabbed their patience with both hands and were trying not to bang their head on the desk. Poor Kurosawa. One of the others would need to buy him a drink after they were done for the day._

_And yet at another station an earnest-looking old lady with several books in her hands and what looked like her grandson behind her, also carrying several scrolls both for his age and hers. She was asking if it was possible to check out all these things, please, and when would they be due, since she had some children's books besides some shinobi materials to let her grandson enjoy?_

_I raised my eyebrows when I saw what kind of materials she was carrying. Water jutsu and poisons? I hoped I was as cognizant of my surroundings and dangerous when I was as old as she was._

_Scratch that. I wanted to live to be as old as she was. And retire. Gods willing._

_Sakura tugged on my sleeve. I looked down at her, "Yes, Sakura-chan?"_

_"I didn't think you could check out shinobi materials from the library, sensei."_

_I shook my head, "You can't. She may be a special case--ah, see how Nakamura-san pulled out that ledger?"_

_My tiny student nodded._

_"Certain shinobi are allowed to take materials outside the library if they are a certain rank or if they were when they retired. In order to keep using the libraries and have borrowing privileges they have to consent to have a unique seal attached to them and their materials when they leave--it's more complicated than that, but that's the basics. It also depends on how whatever it is is classified. If it's common shinobi knowledge, we don't care if they walk off with it, because it's likely it's already known by the other nations. If it's not, then they can make a copy of that information and take that with them--with all the consequences of losing that knowledge with it thereof--"_

_Sakura winced._

_"-so it's a case-by-case basis. In this instance," I nodded towards the old lady, who walked out with all her books and grandson grinning behind her, "It looks like she chose to take them with her, and since they may be for her grandson too, it's probably not something very advanced or dangerous," I finished. "But good catch."_

_She flushed with pleasure, looking pleased with herself, "Are you a reference librarian, Kitō-sensei?"_

_I considered how to answer, "I like reference work," I said finally. I smiled down at her, "Let's keep moving, shall we?"_

_"Yes, Kitō-sensei!"_

Finally we were about to hit one my favorite departments:

Circulation.

"So Circulation," I called to Sakura as we made our way through another archway in the mountain and nearby where we started with Collections and Cataloging, "Is a bit of a misnomer, really."

"What do you mean, Kitō-sensei?"

I looked back over my shoulder at her, holding out a hand. She took it with a curious look on her face.

"Up we go!"

To Sakura's credit, she did _not_ shriek when I gathered her into my arms and jumped, but I did hear a muffled 'eep!' where her head was buried in my shoulder. To the casual bystander or trespasser in the staff areas, it looked like I vaulted straight through the ceiling. It was actually a bit more complicated than that, but I would hold off on explaining to Sakura until she was farther along in her internship.

I reached out to one of the handholds carved into the stone, swung my legs up and over, and a nearby seal flashed in recognition of my and Sakura's chakra before I landed in a crouch on a walkway above the Collections room. I gently began prying her fingers from my shoulders, and she took the hint and let go, turning her head towards where we were standing.

"Where...are we?" my tiny student sounded confused as she very carefully placed her hand on the walkway railing that looked over Collections, "What is this?"

Down below, we could see the Collections librarians moving around on the floor and on their own branches that Sakura probably _thought_ was the limit to the ceiling before. Considering the very top of the ceiling was dark except for the skylights, she might have been right. But Circulation liked to hide in plain sight, and so kept themselves and their headquarters high up.

 _Very_ high up.

"This," I motioned farther up and she tilted her head back, gaping, "Is Circulation. But as we staff like to call it, Retention. Specifically, Materials Retention. And all that implies."

"You're looking," I continued as she continued to stare at the shinobi crouched above us on the various landings--there were a lot of them but they wanted to put on a show, and were probably gathered for a debriefing after the break-ins this morning, and wanted to take advantage of the moment, the drama queens-, "At our second Librarian specialization, the Keepers. Let's get you introduced."

"Okay," Sakura squeaked and followed after me, looking excited.

I smiled to myself. My tiny student might fit in well here after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't _actually_ get too far into Circulation yet. That's gonna be a chapter all on its own as we get into Library/Archives security and all that fun stuff.
> 
> Plus I gotta have something to look forward to, hurricane nonsense aside.
> 
> I'm pretty sure a bunch of departments in academic and public libraries don't actually exist in Naruto--for one, I don't think they're actually necessary, two, some of the issues (like copyright, metadata, electronic collections/access) aren't actually an issue yet, or don't necessarily apply to the Main Library as opposed to possibly the Civilian Branches.
> 
> I mean, come on. Ninja steal shit all the time. Like they're gonna care about copyright. Hah.
> 
> Well, sort of. Kakashi is called the _Copycat_ ninja, after all. Technically all shinobi are plagiarists, but he's like, the worst. One of the worst. I love him, but really.
> 
> If you wanna make a case for them or suggestions, as usual, go ahead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're a shinobi, Eri-chan," I interjected, amused, "You're supposed to sneak."
> 
> "I would sneak," her face was solemn, "And then I would kill it. With fire."
> 
> I snorted.
> 
> Watanabe retorted, "That defeats the whole purpose of-"
> 
> "-and lightning," Eri's voice was placid as she turned to look at her teammabe, "If necessary."
> 
> "...No. We're supposed to preserve and protect. You make the Keepers look bad, Eri-taichou."
> 
> "Nuh-uh. I make us look _awesome_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite chapter so far. I'm not sure if it's the stress relief I'm getting from writing, or if this story is shaping up not to be a total disaster. Probably both.
> 
> This one gets a little creepy. For like half a second. Happy Halloween?
> 
> Also, hey, more history! And backstory!

"Uh," Sakura's wave was tentative as she took in all the shinobi above us, "Hi?"

Over our heads (shinobi lurking notwithstanding), you could see a spiral steadily circling upwards but not actually starting to narrow for several floors. While there were stairs, most of the Keepers and staff just hopped from landing to landing. Shelves were scattered throughout the floors along with the open areas the Keepers considered their 'offices', but most of the space given to the Circulation department was devoted to containment of materials _or_ people. Circulation didn't discriminate, much to infiltrators' dismay, and staff's amusement. Light came from seals that glowed softly on the walls and the floors, and some on the rails. Later on, as Sakura progressed, she'd probably be made to find each seal in the department, identify the type, and an appropriate key or workaround as a training exercise. I made a mental note to bring that to Lead Keeper-san's attention once Sakura went home for the day.

The next moment, most of the nin had disappeared and only a few remained crouched staring at us. One casually flopped off their perch and met us on the walkway. I rolled my eyes at their approach.

"Really, Keeper-san?"

"It wasn't my idea, Amaya-chan," the Keeper shrugged at us, "But I wasn't about to say no to a little fun."

"Of course you weren't," I was amused as the Lead Keeper knelt in front of Sakura to be on the same level, eyes wide and lips pursed.

Sakura, well-used to the staff doing this by now, didn't slouch and faced Keeper-san head on. Keeper-san didn't look anything out of the ordinary, which was the department's goal since they, out of all the staff here, needed to be unnoticeable by patrons and potential infiltrators to the Library. Brown-haired, brown eyed, with utterly forgettable features, I would be surprised if Sakura recognized her in future explorations during her internship.

"Golly, you're small," Keeper-san stood back up, "Very small. Which means crawl spaces. Pink hair though, and that red dress. Not subtle. The dress has gotta go. At least."

"Not yet," I cautioned the Lead Keeper as she continued to give Sakura the once-over. Sakura, for her part, frowned about the comments regarding her appearance, "She's Academy."

Keeper-san leapt back as if she was burned, "What?"

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Intern. She's twelve."

"But the crawl spaces-" Keeper's voice took on a whining quality.

I very carefully did not consider why Lead Keeper-san needed Sakura in the crawl spaces, "No."

"After she's trained?"

I looked at my tiny student. Pondered. Looked back to Lead Keeper-san.

"Maybe," I relented a little, "Give her a couple weeks."

"Hooray!" Lead Keeper-san ruffled Sakura's hair before backflipping off the walkway, "See you later!"

Sakura leaned over the rail to see where Keeper-san went, but she was already gone, "How does she do that?"

I shrugged, "You'll learn someday. C'mon, tiny student, you have to meet the other layabouts that call themselves the Keepers."

"I am not a layabout!"

I smirked up at one of the ninja who hadn't left, "Eri-chan, you are absolutely a layabout, but that's ok, someone's gotta hold the fort here."

"Gee," Eri-chan snarked as she jumped down to meet us, her partners sitting nonchalantly on the landing behind her, "Thanks. And this is the intern that's made such a ruckus?"

"Yes," Sakura answered shyly as she stepped up and bowed slightly, "I'm Haruno Sakura, Academy student and intern here for the next six weeks. Please take care of me."

"She bowed to you, Eri-chan. Dear gods, make her stop before her head inflates," one of Eri's partners, Watanabe-san snickered and ducked Maki's (their other partner) hand coming in for a hit, "You know I'm right."

"Just because you're right doesn't mean I can't smack you for it," Maki-san muttered.

"I hate both of you," Eri's voice was serene and she winked at Sakura, who smiled back, "Good to meet you, Haruno-chan. I'm Suzuki Eri, one of the Keepers here in Circulation, also known as Materials Retention. I'm Lead-sama's second here."

"Lead-sama?"

"The Keeper who jumped off the railing," my voice was dry as we moved to follow Eri up the steps, "She does that a lot. You'll get used to it."

Sakura still looked confused but nodded and evidently decided not to question it, "Okay, then."

"Ne, Haruno-chan, do you know what Keepers are?"

"I thought I'd let you explain, Eri-chan," my voice was bland and she looked suspiciously back at me, Watanabe and Maki probably making some kinds of faces if the way she glared was any indication. A sudden breeze went through hair not secured in my bun as her partners made their escape.

"Those two are going to give me a migraine," Eri muttered to Sakura and I, "It's like herding cats."

"They do a good job out on the floor though," I pointed out as we stopped in front of one of the containment chambers, "Anyway, Keepers. Go."

"So anyway, Sakura. What do you think Keepers do? What can you see so far?"

We both watched my tiny student as she looked back the way we came, carefully over the ledge down to Collections and Cataloging below, and at the seals that littered most of the surfaces in view. Sakura then looked at the glow emanating from the containment cell and turned back to Eri-chan.

"You're here to make sure people find what they need," she said slowly, "But you also make sure it _stays_ here. And the people, too. If they're not from Konoha."

"Help which people, Sakura-chan?"

She blinked, "Um. The patrons on the other floors?"

Eri patted Sakura on the shoulder and moved towards the containment cell, "Very good. We don't help people at the Reference Desks, those are the Reference Librarians' job. What else do we do?"

Sakura shook her head, "I'm not sure."

Eri had knelt in front of the cell and was steadily feeding her chakra into the seal at her feet. While the barrier didn't go down, it did thin a bit so we could better see what was inside this particular containment room. Sakura sucked in a breath and I kept my hand on her shoulder.

There was a scroll.

It wasn't very big, and it wasn't very long (if the number of rolls were any indication) and it was placed innocuously on the shelf on one side of a seemingly empty room. There was a table in the center of the room, with a couple chairs scattered inside. No lights were on except for the illumination from the barrier invoked by the seal. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And yet.

Something about that room came across as exceedingly malevolent.

Eri glanced back towards me and I nodded. Taking that as her cue, she adjusted the containment matrix and withdrew her chakra before standing back up again and leaving the seal. The barrier thickened again and provided a soft glow for the rest of the Circulation floor. I looked down at Sakura, who while shaken hadn't started freaking out, so that was a good start.

"We don't, as Keepers, only protect our materials from getting stolen, Haruno-chan," Eri joined us back by the railing, face serious, "But also protect other people from what needs to be contained. Things that aren't safe. Sometimes we get idiots who want to steal stuff like this and don't know how dangerous it is. You probably heard the alarms this morning?"

"Some items are sealed by Hokage-sama or Curator-sama for a reason," I agreed solemnly. If there was anywhere that Sakura needed to understand just what, exactly, all Librarians did, specialty or not, it was here. While not everybody was in the Circulation department, everyone was familiar with the protocols, and acted as backup support just in case.

Sakura nodded and we moved up the stairs to another floor. Unlike the previous cells on the levels below us, these had composite bars (mixed with metal, wood, and other materials) so they would be even more difficult for would-be thieves to manipulate, if they somehow managed to escape the chakra seals placed on their bodies. Containment seals were in place here as well, although most of them weren't activated. They provided an additional layer of protection on an as-needed basis.

"These," Eri moved aside so we could see through the containment cells on this floor, "Are some of the idiots who tried to steal that scroll today."

Sakura moved behind me, and I couldn't blame her. Seeing the effects of that scroll gave anyone the heebie-jeebies. While a few had screamed themselves hoarse and were just whimpering against the back walls of their containment, others only glared sullenly out at us, while in the final couple of cells all that could be seen were foreign nin sitting blankly on their beds, staring ahead at the wall opposite them, with no expression or movement whatsoever.

"You can see why it's important that we keep infiltrators from getting in, it's also important we keep materials from getting _out_ ," Eri explained softly, "Or things like this can happen. We already had T&I take away the ones safe for interrogation. These others-" she shook her head, "That's not up to me to decide."

"Curator-sama will have a decision for you all at the end of the day," I informed her. Eri only nodded. Sakura stayed hidden behind me and we left the inmates behind and kept moving upwards.

I put a hand on my tiny student's head, "That's not something you need to know about yet," I murmured down at her and she relaxed, "You doing okay?"

"Yes, Kitō-sensei."

I patted her on the head, "Good. Tell me if that changes. Let's take a break up here."

We had stopped a few more levels up and joined the other Keepers scattered around doing paperwork and fuinjutsu. Several hammocks, beanbag chairs, and sofas were spread around the floor (Circulation didn't believe in separate office spaces) and a skylight shone directly above us. A couple windows provided additional light. Several low-demand plants were scattered up here as well and provided a calming atmosphere compared to what we had seen below. Sakura, who was out of breath at this point, flopped gratefully into one of the hammocks and didn't refuse the water and snack I got out of the fridge for her. Several of the other Keepers had looked up at our arrival but at Eri's hand wave went back to work. I considered our intern from my perch in one of the nearby alcoves. While she was disgracefully out of shape, she wasn't completely unsalvageable and would improve fast since she was young. Sakura would probably make faster progress than she thought with Gai handling her physical conditioning.

"Suzuki-san?" Sakura's voice was a little hoarse and she coughed.

Eri looked up from her beanbag, "Yes, Haruno-chan?"

"What happens if that scroll or something else _did_ get out somehow?"

A slight pause as Eri thought.

"Why did you ask?" Watanabe groaned across the room and Maki echoed him a second later. If Eri came up with anything too exciting it was only a given as her partners that they would be a half step behind her.

Eri was still considering her answer, but with her reputation as a semi-loose cannon (which didn't really mean much, if you looked at Library staff as a whole) it was more likely she was waiting her teammates out to make them suffer in some way or another. As per usual. I rolled my eyes a little at Sakura and she grinned back at me.

"We'd pounce on it as fast as possible-" Eri started to answer.

"You're a shinobi, Eri-chan," I interjected, amused, "You're supposed to sneak."

"I would sneak," her face was solemn, "And then I would kill it. With fire."

I snorted.

Watanabe retorted, "That defeats the whole purpose of-"

"-And lightning," Eri's voice was placid as she turned to look at her teammate, "If necessary."

Sakura giggled and I sighed. At least our tiny intern was cheering up.

"...No. We're supposed to preserve and protect. You make the Keepers look bad, Eri-taichou."

"Nuh-uh. I make us look _awesome_."

"Where do they come from, Suzuki-san?"

"Anywhere," Maki gave up and came to join the three of us, leaving Watanabe to gather their paperwork with a grumble and follow after him, "Desecrated places. Old places. Old _and_ desecrated places. Shrines. Temples. Old cities. Sometimes the odd civilian will stumble on one and dig it up. If they're lucky it remains quiet since they don't actively use chakra. If they don't," he shrugged as Sakura's eyes widened, "That's a lot of times where ghost stories or spirit appearances come from. And then we get called in or ANBU gets called in to take care of it. Sometimes they're part of shinobi caches. They can be scattered everywhere. Sometimes they're not even old; something goes wrong nearby and boom. Murder scrolls. Or books."

"Oh," Sakura's brows were furrowed, "But then why do we take them instead of another village?"

"Since Uzushio fell, and wasn't _that_ shortsighted of Iwa and the other villages," we all winced at Eri's sarcasm; her family was one of the survivors from Uzushio, "Konoha is one of the few places that _can_ contain these items. Only a few of the other Hidden Villages have the same capabilities as us. Sand, for instance. Maybe Grass. Hence other idiots trying to steal them. You'd think they'd know better by now. But no. "

"You'd be wrong," I said dryly.

"Very wrong," Maki-san agreed.

"Back on track," Eri-chan said loudly as Sakura tried to stop giggling, "We Keepers preserve dangerous materials brought back from those sorts of missions, and protect our patrons and ourselves from infiltrators and murder materials. If we can't, we usually make a copy without all the," Eri made waving motions with her arms that were supposed to imply 'evil chakra essence' or something similar, "But we usually try to contain them if we can. Original knowledge is almost always better than copies. I like that," she said thoughtfully, "Murder scrolls. Murder materials. Has an oddly satisfying ring to it."

Watanabe bent and muttered to Sakura, "This is like the time when we changed the head of the Circulation department's designation."

Sakura looked up at him quizzically, "Wait, you mean instead of Lead Keeper it was-" her face contorted as she got it, "Oh, no."

"Exactly. Gave her a bit of a reputation, as it were," Watanabe smiled at Sakura and winked at me and I bit my lip to keep from laughing at loud. I remembered all too well that particular staff meeting. "Head Keeper is one way to go about our duties, I suppose."

"It would fit Eri-taichou perfectly," Maki yelped as Eri's fist made her mark, "It would though, admit it!"

"I will not!"

I looked to Sakura and she waved cheerfully back at me while asking Eri, Watanabe, and Maki more questions. I settled in my alcove with a grin.

I don't know what I was worried about. Sakura would do just fine.

It was an hour or so later that Sakura finally ran out of questions and the Keepers had go to attend their duties, so I gathered up my tiny student and ushered her towards the final set of stairs that led to the top of Hokage Mountain. Taking a deep breath from atop Sandaime-sama's head was always refreshing. Thankfully the sun was still out, although starting to set, indicating that Sakura would need to escorted home soon. We sat up there for a time on the Third's head, me contemplating the view of the village and Sakura probably digesting all the information she learned today.

"I don't think I need to ask if you still want to be an intern," I started and grinned at her vigorous headshake, "So I will refrain from doing so. Training starts now. Head on down the mountain and back home. We'll see you back at 6 tomorrow morning. Come through the main entrance."

"But my house is halfway across the village...?" Sakura's voice was tentative.

I glanced down at her, looked at the mountain we stood on, then back at my student, "You can do it. Take your time, and if you can figure out how to channel chakra go ahead. That'll help. You probably can with your level of chakra control. Off you pop. You'll sleep amazing tonight, guaranteed."

Sakura sighed, bowed towards me and murmured, "Thank you, Kitō-sensei. Until tomorrow!" and began to maneuver down the mountain.

I waited till she was out of sight before acknowledging the presences nearby, "Go ahead and keep an eye on her; we don't want any trouble befalling our new intern on her very first day."

"I like her," Hyuuga Tokuma said thoughtfully as he dropped from the Third's neighboring hair spike, his cousin Hoheto with him, "I think she'll do well."

"I think she might, too," I agreed, arms crossed as I tracked her presence down the mountain, "But it's getting late, and she is small. And one of ours, now."

"A vulnerability others can exploit."

I nodded, "Quite possibly."

"Well. We can't have that, now can we?" Hoheto murmured as he and Tokuma turned to follow our tiny student. 

My smile sharpened, "No. We cannot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Hurricane Michael happened.
> 
> ...it sucked. It completely fucked over my writing process and any kind of motivation I had going for a couple weeks, so I only just this last week got back in the swing of things. And I had to catch up on work. And start another job. 
> 
> Y'all. Two jobs and a business and a final school year for my master's does not a relaxed and motivated author make. I am going to work less hours next semester, and thank God I graduate this spring, or I would be developing ulcers from the stress.
> 
> I am not trying to make the Librarians like the show (which I haven't had time to see) or like Warehouse 13 (which is bomb) or anything else. It seemed like a natural extension of what Librarians in the Naruto 'verse would be on the lookout for.


	6. Sakura 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Gods," Hoheto-san raked his hands through his hair, "You're going to give us ulcers the rate you're going."
> 
> "It's the end of day one," Hyuuga-san rubbed his eyes, "She's not even home yet. I think it's a record."
> 
> "I think you're right."
> 
> "...thanks?"
> 
> "That wasn't a compliment, tiny-chan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. Happy Halloween!
> 
> I'll be going out of town this weekend, and thought I'd post this ahead of time since I fly back Sunday and probably won't feel like writing Monday. Probably. Plus I gotta update _Shades and Shadows_ over in The Hobbit fandom.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

I had gotten about halfway down the mountain before I needed to take a break. I wasn't actually that far from the ground; the declines heading down into Kohoha proper were fairly gradual, so it wasn't a total nightmare on my legs. Stopping at a bench that gave a view of the Mountain and Konoha, I slowed my breathing and began to stretch. I still had the rest of the village to go before I made it home, and while I knew I was going to wake up sore, I refused to wake up stiff. 

Well. I probably would wake up stiff. But at least I'd be able to move. Maybe. Hopefully?

My head was still spinning from everything I learned in my tour of the Main Library today. Even just going through the staff-only sections was mind blowing. I touched my intern tag through my shirt, thinking of all the work it took to even get to this point. Iruka-sensei wasn't that bad, really--it was the Dean that took all my courage. There was something in the way he looked at me that seemed like he was examining me from the inside out. I didn't like it.

 _Me either,_ Inner muttered, _Let's not do that again._

It was a relief when he finally grinned and said he admired my ambition and drive before giving me permission to intern at the Library. Apparently nobody had been able to succeed in convincing him or wanted to be a library intern up until I approached Iruka-sensei and Dean-sama about it. Which made me wonder how the Librarians chose their staff in the first place. Maybe they waited until people like me came to them first?

Nobody ever talked about the Libraries. Not in a _bad_ way, really, they knew that they were there for when we needed to look something up, but nobody ever really talked about the librarians. They were on the same level as the teachers and the other people who served the village--they worked without being noticed. But what really confused me was how it wasn't obvious to everyone else what they did.

All shinobi had to learn jutsu. Even the super dangerous ones; not everything was learned in the field or taught by another shinobi. They had to keep all of those things _somewhere_. Someone had to have been trying to steal our stuff this whole time, it's what ninja from other villages would do. There's gotta be pretty strong people that have to protect it, and protect the people inside as well. And the other stuff they did with haunted scrolls and things--I winced when I thought of one of those getting out into the village. It'd be pretty easy to cause a lot of chaos. And after seeing what happened to those thieves this morning--I shuddered. Somehow they had to stay sane. 

_I mean,_ I thought as I stood up from the bench and continued stretching, _They were all pretty weird in some way or another. But they weren't crazy. Not the same way that I thought most shinobi were crazy._

Which was another thing. I saw the statistics for shinobi past a certain rank or a certain age. All the librarians I met seemed pretty normal, comparatively. I wanted to stay normal too. Being a little weird though, I thought to myself, wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I'd rather be weird like the Library staff than anyone else.

I got out of my stretches and looked down toward the trail, which with the sun setting looked even longer than before. I sighed.

I knew I'd get a lot of physical conditioning, and this was probably light compared to what Kitō-sensei and Gai-sensei would have me do when I started training with them more, but the fact I had to stop to take a break at all sucked. I looked over the cliff again, seeing that it was only 50 feet or so down to Konoha proper, and that there were a lot of handholds in the rock.

Hmmmmm.

I stepped back and thought for a minute. Kitō-sensei did say I could use chakra to help me down, that it would make things easier. Maybe that's what she meant? I saw shinobi walking on walls and buildings and trees all the time. It couldn't be that different.

I took another minute to find the ideal climbing path to catch myself if something went wrong, deliberately recalled my fall exercises, and then turned around. Taking a deep breath, I began to climb down the side of the cliff, gradually adding chakra to my feet the whole time. After a certain point I could feel my feet sticking to the side and I very, very cautiously let go of one hand, then the other from the rocks. At this point I was about 30 feet off the ground, and figured even if I fell it wouldn't be that bad. 

It took another minute to calm my breathing so I could begin to stand against the side of the rock. Once my legs were straight, I squeezed my eyes shut and turned around, keeping my chakra at the same level the whole time, although it was starting to be a struggle. I scraped my feet against the cliff before gathering my courage and taking my foot fully off the side before planting it in front of me, like I was really walking.

Hoo boy. That was scary. My foot stuck though, which was awesome, and I paid attention to how my body was balanced against the rock. I was able to take a few more strides while getting used to the feeling. It was like my center of gravity was the cliff instead of the ground, which I knew would be really disturbing if I opened my eyes. 

So, being an idiot, I heard a crash below me as something raced through the trees. I opened my eyes.

The sudden shock of seeing the ground before me--which I should have been falling towards instead of standing on the cliff--made me lose remaining control of my chakra and plummet towards the ground. With a yelp I began to turn into proper fall position before I felt myself be scooped up midair and deposited gently on the ground.

"Well," my rescuer said crankily, "At least you know how to fall properly. Thank the gods. You're only twelve, for gods' sakes. 'Make sure she gets home safely'. I didn't think I'd have to keep an eye out for death-defying stunts."

I stood up and turned to look at my rescuer. It was the Hyuuga that I had seen in the library earlier that day. Hoheto-san? Another Hyuuga (one of his cousins, maybe?) had joined him. Both of them were at least jounin, from what I could tell by their appearance, and I frowned. I put my hands behind my back and channeled my chakra into _kai_. Nothing happened. I blinked and let my hands rest at their sides. Make sure I get home? Who would-

-I relaxed my shoulders. It was probably Kitō-sensei. She did say something about being the most vulnerable member of the team to kidnapping since I'm just an intern. 

Hoheto-san was still talking, "Of all the irresponsible, ridiculous, completely _insane_ -"

I stared at them blankly, "Kitō-sensei said to use chakra to help me get home-"

"Yes," his cousin said irritably, "Because swan diving off the ledge was what-"

"I didn't _swan dive_ ," I retorted, annoyed, "I tried to walk down and slipped. And I caught myself. And I didn't try it too high up."

"Gods," Hoheto-san raked his hands through his hair, "You're going to give us ulcers the rate you're going."

"It's the end of day one," Hyuuga-san rubbed his eyes, "She's not even home yet. I think it's a record."

"I think you're right."

"...thanks?" 

"That wasn't a compliment, tiny-chan."

Then the rest of what he said caught up to me and I took a step back, "What do you mean, 'us'?"

"The staff," Hyuuga-san clarified, "I'm Hyuuga Tokuma. Kitō-san asked us to keep an eye out for you on your way home. We know you did a lot today and wanted to make sure you got home all right."

"Oh," I said softly and looked down at my hands, thinking of how easy it would have been to hurt myself. Yeah, I was confident I could fall properly, but I still might have injured my hands or feet. And nobody would have seen me but for Kitō-sensei's foresight, "I'm really sorry."

Hoheto-san made a noise like a teakettle before putting his hand on my shoulder, "It's okay. It sounded like you had a sensible plan of action regardless. You just startled us, is all. And by the way-"

I looked up, "Yes?"

"-Kitō-sensei probably meant channeling your chakra throughout your body to make you less tired. Not walking down the cliff."

I felt like a moron, "Oh."

"I mean, hey," Tokuma-san said as we continued to walk towards the village, "You just overachieved a bit, is all. If you were able to walk down the cliff, at least partway, you can probably already walk up trees-"

"Yep," I nodded.

He blinked, "Wait, what?"

I ducked my head again for a second, "We dared each other to climb up trees at the Academy. And-" my shoulders hunched, "I wasn't bothered once I could walk up the trees by myself." I refused to talk about Ami and the other bullies. And my fights with Ino.

Thoughtful silence.

"Well," Hoheto-san continued, "What Tokuma probably means to say now is that since you can walk up trees, and you're working on walking up cliffs, or down cliffs, really, you can probably channel chakra throughout your body just fine."

"I'm the top in my class for chakra control."

"Well, there you go," Hoheto-san turned around, "I gotta head back to the Library and finish researching, Tokuma, I'll see you later. Nice to meet you, Haruno-chan."

"Bye," I waved and was left with Tokuma-san, who was regarding me with a lifted eyebrow, "What?"

"You probably have questions," he said patiently as we continued on our way. We were still on the outskirts of Konoha so there were no raised eyebrows at a Hyuuga walking with a non-Hyuuga.

Suddenly it came to me, "Oh! Why was it so hard to walk on the cliff instead of the trees?"

"All living things have chakra flowing through them and you can better resonate with them whenever you channel chakra. Cliffs and water don't channel chakra in the same way, so it's harder," Tokuma explained. I had a feeling there was more to it than that but in this instance I appreciated him using easier concepts. I knew I was smart. But it was a pretty long day, and I was exhausted.

"Thanks for explaining, Hyuuga-san," he inclined his head towards me.

"So what kind of librarian are you, Hyuuga-san?"

"I am also a Keeper at the Main Library. I believe you met Eri-san today?"

I brightened, "Yes!"

Our conversation continued with me thinking of more questions for him to answer until we made it back to my house. He stopped me outside the front door.

"One piece of advice, tiny-chan."

I looked up at him curiously.

"When you work with us at the Library, and if you choose to be a Librarian, it's better to be honest with yourself and with your loved ones. Nobody's relationships are bettered by hiding things from one another."

I blinked, "Okay?"

He shook his head, "The materials at the library can read more than just minds, Haruno-chan. They can see hearts, too. Kitō-san will teach you. Goodnight."

"Good...night?"

And with a whirl of leaves he disappeared. My eyes narrowed. I headed inside to get a bath and dinner and tell my parents about my first day.

**_The Next Morning_ **

Oh, boy. I was sore. I was very sore. I winced as I got up. Ow. Ow. Ow. But not super stiff. So that was a tiny victory.

 _That's what you get for climbing that cliff yesterday after wandering the Library,_ Inner's voice was smug.

 _Shut up,_ I told her.

I paused as I saw my usual red dress hanging in the closet. I remembered Lead Keeper-san's words. 'Not subtle', she called it. I frowned. I loved my dress. My family had given variations of it to me while I was going to the Academy. But Lead Keeper-san was right. It wasn't subtle. At all. And it was hard to do some kinds of maneuvers in. My frown deepened as I thought of the katas I struggled with because my dress wouldn't give in the right places. And my hair--I flinched away from the idea of dyeing it. Absolutely not. Some things I wouldn't change about me no matter what. But the dress...I could change that. And I could put my hair up?

I suddenly had a vision of my hair flowing down my back and a book jumping off the shelf and clamping down on it. I winced. Ami did that to me when I was younger and it hurt a lot. It was also one of the most _annoying_ feelings in the world. It seemed exactly like the sort of petty thing a library book or scroll would do that wasn't properly sealed away.

I opened my closet with determination, took a deep breath, and dove in. Several minutes later I managed to put together something more subtle and serviceable. With black capri pants, a red sleeveless zip up vest with a black net shirt underneath it and my hair up in a bun, I was able to move a lot more easily. I even wiggled around on the floor a bit and nothing bunched up. I pumped my fist in the air. Let's see Lead Keeper-sama keep me away from the crawl spaces now! Hah!

I clattered down the stairs and swiped a protein bar for breakfast and made a lunch to take with me. While it was more food than when I was 'dieting' (I winced as I remembered Kitō-sensei's words about being in shape), I didn't know how much training I would be doing with Gai-sensei, so I still kept it lighter than if I was spending the day at home.

"I like your outfit, sweetheart," Kaa-san was cooking breakfast for her and Tou-san, "And your hair, too. What's with the new changes?"

"It's for my internship, mom!" I said cheerfully as I headed out the door, "I need to be able to move around the crawl spaces!"

I heard Dad say behind me with bewilderment, "...crawl spaces?" and I giggled while I continued walking down the street to the Library.

Getting to the Main Library was a workout all by itself--like I told Kitō-sensei yesterday, my house was halfway across the village from it, and while I could hop from building to building that would burn my chakra reserves and I wanted to save it for when I had training this afternoon.

I stopped dead when I saw a familiar shirt with the Uchiha crest in front of me. Sasuke-kun! My mouth widened in a smile and I almost called out to him when Inner shouted at me, _'Remember Tokuma's advice from yesterday!'_

I paused. Something about being honest to yourself and to others? Well, if it was that important...recalling what Tokuma-san said, I realized something.

I loved Sasuke-kun. Probably. But I didn't _know_ him. At all. Everything I did--even my hair--was based on rumors of what he liked. I don't think I ever really talked to him. Ever.

Oops.

And we were gonna be teammates. With Naruto. And those two drove each other crazy. I winced again, remembering Naruto had a crush on me. And Naruto drove _me_ crazy. So that was awkward. Uh oh.

This was uncomfortable to think about. I resolved to maybe come back to it during meditation, but in the meanwhile I had to get to the Library or I'd be late! I jogged past my crush with a cheerful, "Good morning, Sasuke-kun, hope you learn a lot at your internship!" and kept going. It took all I had to not look back and smile at him.

Stupid Sasuke-kun. Stupid Naruto. I'd figure this out sooner or later. Preferably later.

I finally made it up to the Library entrance at almost 6 o'clock on the dot and slowed down once I started moving through the Atrium. It was another beautiful day with sunlight starting to stream through the glass and the leaves of Mr. Big (as the little ones I was reading to yesterday called the giant tree) and I took a deep breath. I gave Mr. Big's trunk a friendly pat and relaxed. Something about the Library always felt like _home_. I perked up when I saw Kitō-sensei waiting just inside the doorway. The Atrium was otherwise empty since the Library technically didn't open till 8.

"Heya, Haruno-chan," she grinned at me, "You ready to get started this morning? You'll be working with Gai this afternoon; one of us will take you to him."

"Am I ever!" I said, smiling back, "I can't wait to get started."

"Come on, then," Kitō-sensei turned around and let me through, "We've got a lot to cover, and the Library opens in a couple hours. And what's this I hear about you cliff-diving yesterday?"

I groaned.

"Thought you got away with that, huh?" the librarian's eyes twinkled as we moved past the Sapling Room, "Tell me everything."

I didn't brush away the hand that ruffled my hair, feeling like I belonged somewhere that wasn't class for the first time in _ages_ , "Yes, Kitō-sensei."

My teacher laughed, "I can't wait to hear all about it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the next chapter the pacing is hopefully going to pick up a bit (every few days, story timeline-wise instead of multiple chapters for one internship 'day'). I really don't want to set a plodding pace, but I have a lot of groundwork to lay out before I can get to more fun stuff. And shenanigans. And finally get the other main characters into the story.
> 
> Also, Sakura realizes some things. I figured she's a moderately self-aware individual with Inner lurking around, and with her level of intellect while she's still an awkward preteen I figured it makes for interesting writing and I can get away with using more complex language. Shikamaru would probably be the same way if I ever got around to writing about him. Sasuke...no. He's more of an instinctive genius I feel than an intellectual one. But we'll see how he presents himself to me to write.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No One, Not Even You, Kitō-san, Most Beautiful Blossom, Can Take the Place of My Eternal Rival! We Have a Bond Forged In the Flames of PerPetual Friendship!
> 
> In my mind, I wondered how he managed to speak in capital letters. Then, for the sake of my sanity, put it in the back of my head to ponder another day. As usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, guys. With the end of the semester and all of my work this is the first time I've not been exhausted enough to write since Halloween. Updates will be better next semester.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please leave kudos or a comment. I love hearing from you!

It took all I had to keep from laughing at Sakura's face as she recounted her (mis)adventure with Hoheto and Tokuma. While the thought did flicker in my mind she might try such a thing after seeing other shinobi attempt it during her early days at the Academy, I dismissed it quickly, thinking that such things were beyond her for a little while yet. When I sent her home, I genuinely thought that she'd use her chakra to refresh her body's muscles and lungs so she would be less worn out, not attempt to go walking down the side of Hokage Mountain. 

Boy, was I wrong.

_"Straight down the cliffside," Hoheto groused, "She climbed down normally first and then I nearly had a coronary when I saw her straighten up. She kept her eyes closed-"_

_"Probably to keep from disorienting herself," I murmured and he nodded._

_"And decided that then was the perfect time to walk down the side."_

_I blinked. Hoheto grimaced at the look on my face._

_"To be fair, she was-"_

"Only 30 feet up, anyway, Kitō-sensei, I would have been fine otherwise if I fell into proper fall position!" I looked down at my tiny student, who was waving her arms at this point in her story, "And I've tree walked before, it wasn't that different. And I still made it several steps! It just feels really weird."

At Sakura's mention of treewalking I remembered Hoheto's words.

_"I don't think her time at the Academy was entirely enjoyable, Kitō-san. She didn't say it, but," he paused, looking at me, and I nodded in understanding. She must have been desperate for somewhere to hide as a kid to attempt something that difficult when she knew it was almost impossible for her age, "I'd be careful if you ever need to reprimand or confront her."_

_I nodded, considering, "Thanks, Hoheto. I'll let you get back to your work." The Hyuuga inclined his head at me and disappeared in a whirl of leaves._

"Kitō-sensei?" Haruno-chan looked worried and I patted her on the head.

We were finishing opening procedures for the Library, walking around the Seedling Room and activating the seals step by step. Ones for silencing, ones for containment, others for sorting and air temperature and humidity, etcetera. I didn't explain to Sakura exactly _how_ I was activating them yet, as the less she knew the safer she was. We'd get around to teaching her fuuinjutsu in time, but it was only her second day. There was a time and place for everything.

"While I understand that you had thought out a plan and multiple options should it not go as you expected, which, by the way, well done," she beamed, "It's generally not good practice for genin to attempt new concepts they hadn't tried before alone without a spotter. What if you fell wrong? What if you injured yourself? From that standpoint, it was a good thing Hoheto and Tokuma were looking out for you, since you were not fully looking after yourself. Did you have any medical supplies on you, or a way to make yourself known if you needed to be found?"

Sakura drooped.

I exerted a little pressure on her head so she looked up at me, "I'm not _angry_ , Haruno-chan," I said gently, "But you aren't in a team yet. You're technically still an Academy student. You're not officially a Librarian, and won't be for some time. And while we will do our best to keep you safe, you have to think of your future squadmates, okay? How would they feel if you hurt yourself before you even got together? What if you get in the habit of practicing with no one around?"

She nodded and whispered, "Sorry."

I smiled at her, "This is why you're our intern, silly. You've got a lot to learn. And it's okay! It's not the end of the world; don't beat yourself up too much over it," I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Now come on, let's keep going. This is one room down, there's the rest of the Library to go, and a lot of ground to cover."

I hoped I made my point without crushing her drive to experiment entirely, and grinned as she sighed, "Are you going to take me everywhere _again_ , Kitō-sensei?"

I may have been amused on the inside but my voice was bland when I replied, "The only way to learn the layout of the place is by repetition. Lots and lots of repetition, Haruno-chan. You've got to get used to how it all interconnects."

This was not quite as much of a lie as it sounded. Sakura would probably learn the ins and outs of the Library, and eventually the Archives, in about a week. Crawl spaces too, once I let her fall into Lead-Keeper's clutches. I was more concerned for her general level of fitness in actually _getting_ everywhere, considering how out of breath she was climbing around Circulation yesterday. Which my tiny intern probably guessed. And the more that she wandered around the staff areas and met the other Librarians, the more staff would recognize her, and the more protectors my tiny student would have until she was strong enough to stand by herself.

Besides, it'd be a good warm-up for Gai's training that afternoon. She'd need all the help she could get. I looked at Sakura thoughtfully out of the corner of my eye.

Maybe throwing her at Gai was a little overkill?

Thought for a second. Considered Lead-Keeper's words about crawl spaces.

Considered the _reasons_ Lead-Keeper wanted Sakura in the crawl spaces.

Shrugged.

Nah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_6 hours later_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

When lunch rolled around I saw that Sakura had prepared a far more sensible meal than what she had probably been eating up until yesterday (that snack I got her aside, the fact she didn't have anything for lunch I found deeply concerning). Although she didn't quite inhale it, my tiny student ate quickly enough for the two of us, and we departed the Library for Team Gai's training grounds. I noted, as we stepped out the door, that although Sakura looked a little fatigued before we started eating, lunch had perked her up considerably. Good. She would need every bit of energy she could scrounge up, and then some. And would probably still be a puddle at the end of the day.

"So I don't know if you've ever heard of Maito Gai, Haruno-chan," I paused, giving her the chance to respond. She only shook her head.

I looked down at her, "He's Konoha's foremost taijutsu expert, and is currently leading a genin team of his own."

Sakura frowned, "Won't I get in the way of their own training?"

I repressed a snort. Barely. I merely smiled instead, "I think you'll find you'll add a new dimension to their training exercises, Sakura-chan. And I do have a bit of advice for you," I tilted my head, thinking, then decided to go for blunt, "Don't feel bad if you can't keep up. Actually, you probably won't be able to keep up for a while. That's okay. Nobody is able to at first."

My tiny student began to look alarmed, and I ruffled the bun on her head, my smile widening as she ducked away from me, "I think you'll find his students to be pretty interesting, tiny student. I guarantee you that Gai is the absolute best person to catch you up on your taijutsu and get you in shape, no matter what he's like. "

"What _is_ he like, sensei?"

I opened my mouth.

Closed it.

Then smirked as she groaned, "This is like when I met Curator-sama, isn't it? _Isn't it_."

"Haruno-chan," I said cheerily as we entered the training ground district, "I wouldn't want to spoil your first impression of Gai. Absolutely not. I would never."

"Oh, gods," she muttered to herself, thinking I couldn't hear her, "I'm going to die."

"I mean," my voice was thoughtful as I steered us towards some shouts coming from Training Ground 6, "You might not actually die. But you may feel like death afterwards. Maybe. Probably."

"I should have gone into Tactical," Sakura grumped, but she looked excited.

"If you wanted something easy, yes," I agreed, "I hear Nara has made it an excellent place for naps. Lots of beanbag chairs and hammocks, with occasional analysis on the side," she laughed and I continued, "But you can't back out now. Here we go. Hey, Gai-san!" I called.

Sakura inhaled sharply as she took in Gai's jumpsuited form in front of her, saw Lee clad in an identical one behind him, then coughed. Repeatedly. I thumped her helpfully on the back and grinned. Tenten, used to this by now, shrugged and continued the bo kata she was working on, but I could see her eyeing Sakura out of the corner of her eye. Neji was ignoring us, which was absolutely no surprise to anyone concerned. Sakura was too freaked out by Gai to say anything.

"Kitō-San! Your Beauty Grows Ever More Radiant By The Day. No, By The Hour!"

"Thanks, Gai," I replied, nudging Sakura forward and I followed behind, "This is Haruno Sakura, my intern at the Konoha Library and Archives. I brought her here to work with you and your students, if that's all right."

The jounin's gaze sharpened for a moment and I made the ANBU sign for 'later' where Sakura couldn't see.

He fixed his attention on my tiny student, "YOSH! A New Blossom of Youth is Here for Training? Kitō-san, You Are Too Kind!"

"YOSH! Gai-sensei, we will do our best for this flower of youth!" Gai's protegé, Lee, waved at us from where he was doing a headstand on one finger on top of a training post while Neji was performing jyuuken strikes underneath it, rocking it back and forth. I presumed it was balance practice, but I was never sure with Lee. He could have been doing it for fun. Neji probably wanted to hurt him. But then, as Lee's teammate, it was equally likely he was helping him train. Or didn't even notice he was there--that genius had tunnel vision down to an art. Lee usually took such things in stride.

I waved back lazily, "I do my best, Gai-san."

"So Cool! As Cool as My Eternal Rival!" Gai gave me a thumbs-up, complete with a grin sparkle. Sakura was trying to blink the dazzle out of her eyes next to me. Tenten, ending her kata and looking sympathetic, dragged her away, asking questions in a low tone of voice all the while.

My lips twitched, "Don't tell him you said that, or he might want _me_ to be your Eternal Rival. I have enough work to do as it is, the slacker."

"No One, Not Even You, Kitō-san, Most Beautiful Blossom, Can Take the Place of My Eternal Rival! We Have a Bond Forged In the Flames of PerPetual Friendship!"

In my mind, I wondered how he managed to speak in capital letters. Then, for the sake of my sanity, put it in the back of my head to ponder another day. As usual.

"So," I waited until Tenten had pulled Sakura farther out of earshot, "She needs all-around conditioning. Some nutrition advice. But mostly conditioning. And her taijutsu is terrible. I don't think the Academy style is right for her at all, from what I could see taking her around the Library yesterday. I also looked at her file and talked to some of her instructors at the Academy."

"Really?" Gai's lowered his voice from the eardrum-splitting decibel he was at a moment before, "I think working with Tenten will be a good start."

I shrugged, "You'd know better than me at this point. But she's really, really behind physically. 'Dieting' at her age. Good grief."

Gai frowned.

"We talked a little bit about that already, Gai," I reassured him and his face smoothed out.

As someone who not only was a taijutsu expert but also helped out with physical therapy and nutrition consults over at the hospital, Gai had Feelings on improper dieting. Very Loud Feelings. I might have thrown Sakura at him without any warning, but I would head some things off at the pass until she was a little more acclimated to his personality and the team's dynamics.

"Plus," I said as we watched Sakura continue to be quizzed by Tenten. Neji hadn't yet knocked Lee off the post, but it was only a matter of time, "I think it'd be good for her to see you and your students' teamwork in action."

"Oh?" Gai's sounded thoughtful and out of the corner of my eye I could see his brow furrowing slightly, "And why is that?"

I grimaced, "She thinks--and from what I could tell from my friends at the Academy, she's probably correct--that she'll have Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto as teammates."

Silence from Gai, as he considered the implications.

Certain silver-haired, Hatake-sized implications.

"That's most likely true," he said finally, "And gossip says that the two of them are rivals, like my Neji and Lee. Tenten provides a good balance for the two of them. And they support her as well," his voice was fond, "Which is how it should be."

"I think Sakura could learn a lot from your team and especially Tenten, don't you?"

I twinkled my eyes at Gai and he winked back at me, ignoring his students' sounds of alarm in the distance as they caught note of how close we were standing, "Most beautiful blossom, you are most certainly right. Leave her to me."

"I knew I could," I bowed slightly, "Thank you so much."

I turned to start walking out of the clearing and he caught my arm gently, "The first intern at the Library and Archives?" His eyebrows were raised.

I shrugged, not loosening myself from his grip, "Curator-sama likes her," his eyes widened, "You can hear all about it when you give me her physical assessment."

"Over dinner?"

I grinned up at him, "When do I have time otherwise? Hisakawa will probably come along too, he's taken a shine to her. Maybe Eri if I can swing it. We're all going to be her main teachers. And it'll be fun to freak out the other divisions when they realize we actually have an intern this year at Intern Night next week."

He let me go, beginning to turn back to his students, "I Look Forward To It. Until Tonight, Most Beautiful Blossom!"

I waved lazily, "Laters."

As I shuushined away, I could hear him wail in the distance, "So COOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that, indeed, was Gai. Were there undertones? Were there _not_ undertones? Are they just freaking out their students? Who knows? Good luck figuring it out. Ha. Haha. Hahaha.
> 
> And the list of tags grow ever longer as more characters make their appearance...who will be next?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We got an intern this year!"
> 
> Shikaku spit out his drink.
> 
> Everyone stared.
> 
> "Well," I said, in mock-offended, "No need to look so surprised. I'm hurt. Well," I amended, "A little. Almost. Not really. Nope."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I appreciate all the comments and suggestions; it's been fun to read them and I'm so happy to know you-all are enjoying it.
> 
> It took so long to update partly because I was on break, and then I had figured out in my head what was going to happen next, but planned it out well enough I didn't feel like writing it down. Oops. Usually I leave a bit of ambiguity so that I can let my writing flow naturally, and I didn't do that this time. So I had to go back and delete the few paragraphs I had and start over. Here's the result. I rather like it.

A week had passed since Sakura's first day as the Library/Archives intern, and six days since I had thrown her at Gai and his team for taijutsu training. I was right in that she came back to the Library the next day a complete and total puddle, but I had prepared for it and walked her through moving meditation exercises under Mr. Big's branches in the Atrium, which she was instructed to perform every morning to wake her up before she started at the Library that day. They would improve her flexibility, her physical and mental self-awareness as she was growing and would reduce clumsiness from growth-spurts, and gradually increase her chakra reserves. She didn't need more work on her control; the fact that she was treewalking already meant I could leave that for her jounin-sensei to work on upon graduation. At that point, she'd have learnt the beginnings of fuuinjutsu from the staff and Tenten (the things she could do with storage scrolls were a wonder to behold) and would need to move on to actual exercises.

Given Sakura's thoughts about her future teammates and my hunch about who her sensei would be, I couldn't wait to hear about her progress. And the resulting explosions.

Eri, Minoru, and I were meeting Gai again at Yakiniku Q for Intern Night. Usually we went to give a few conciliatory pats on the back to the Division Heads who were saddled with clueless Academy students for the next five weeks, laugh at the mischief they had gotten into already, and then swan off at the end of the evening, secure in the fact that we were never going to suffer the same fate. Then do the same thing all over again when the instructors gathered to complain the following week.

We had gotten lucky with Sakura so far. Yes, her taijutsu and stamina were a complete disaster, but she had a first-rate mind that soaked up knowledge like water and could formulate a workable strategy at the drop of a hat. So no, we weren't going to complain about our intern.

Oh, no. We were going to brag. And then watch as the other Divisions tried not to have a heart attack that we managed to get stuck with a student at all.

It was going to be good.

"She's so cute!" Hisakawa gushed, walking backwards in front of me and Eri, "And the _hair-_ "

Eri sighed. I bumped her shoulder with mine, "He's not going to be over it for a while."

She opened her mouth but Hisakawa rolled right over her, "How _can_ I? She's _adorable_ , Amaya-chan. Just precious. I always said, didn't I always say-"

"That you talk too much? That you're too excitable? That you've needed to settle down with someone respectable?" Eri's voice was dry.

Hisakawa drooped and turned puppy dog eyes on me. I sighed.

" 'A bit of color-' "

He spun around and yelled in triumph, "Yes! A bit of color!" Hisakawa turned around again, eyes manic, "A bit of color would make such a big difference. And it has! The departments! The staff! Everyone!"

I nodded companionably and Eri raised a brow at me.

I shrugged as we turned the corner, Yakiniku Q's light shining a couple blocks down, "Well, it's not like he's wrong."

"Of course not! Haruno-chan's so precious, and her hair is just the best, and we are going to make her into the cutest little killing machine the Libraries have ever seen."

We blinked at Hisakawa.

A civilian couple who heard his words blanched and moved across the street.

"Minoru, not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, because I do, really," I patted his shoulder and he vibrated with a bit less intensity, "But let's tone it down while we're out and about where civilians are in earshot, yeah?"

"Oh," he blinked a few times, took into account just where, exactly, we were, and lowered his voice, "Sorry."

"It's fine," I took his arm and Eri looped hers through his other side, "You're just. Enthusiastic. And _we_ don't mind it. I just don't want Saito to hear about how you're ruining all his hard work for the Outreach department."

Hisakawa looked down at me, eyes wide, "You may have a point."

"Amaya always has a point," Eri had a wry expression on her face, "They're usually good points, and she's almost always right."

"I amaze myself sometimes," I deadpanned and she snorted.

We let go of Hisakawa to move through the doorway and immediately a shout of excitement could be heard from across the restaurant, closer to the bar tables. We grinned at each other.

"Three guesses," I said to Hisakawa, "And if you're wrong I'm not the one who's going to cry."

He winced as a boom rang out over the crowd, "Most Beautiful Blossom and My Literary Friends, Please Join Me!"

"Every time," Eri muttered as we wove our way around other shinobi waiting for drinks, waving at people we knew and clapping shoulders as we went, "Every time I think I'm going to be ready for just how loud he is, and I brace myself, it's like he reaches new levels. And I'm always unprepared."

I looked at her sympathetically, though my lips twitched, "Don't worry, you too will understand the labyrinthine works of Gai's mind one day. And the limitless capacity of his voicebox."

She shuddered, "I'd rather not."

"Amaya, Eri, Minoru, How Good Of You To Join Us!"

I waved nonchalantly at the other people at the nearby tables before hopping up on a stool next to Gai. Someone had gathered a few of the tables together in a single cluster so a bunch of people could sit together, be near the bar, and have the capacity to move if a fight started. Being able to get your food and drinks out of the way without your legs getting caught under you because you sat at a lower table was invaluable.

Inoichi, Chouza, and Shikaku were, as usual, clustered around one table, while Ibiki was lurking against a back wall and Genma flopped nearby. Ichiro-san, one of the department heads at the hospital, was glaring into this drink moodily. We all knew better than to talk to Ichiro until he either had a few cups of caffeine or alcohol inside him. Other departments were already bitching about their interns, and once Eri and Hisakawa sat down we turned as one expectant eyes on Inoichi and Shikaku. We had commiserated with other shinobi from other departments in other years, but quickly realized that Inoichi and Shikaku were the most fun.

"What?" Inoichi said tiredly. Shikaku only raised an eyebrow.

Gai looked at me, I looked at Eri, Eri looked at Hisakawa, who drilled holes in the back of Genma's head.

Seeing that Genma was not cooperating in the unofficial staring game we had going on, Hisakawa turned his stare back to Inoichi, "Here we thought you'd have been excited about having your daughter as your intern-"

"She's not my intern." The Yamanaka head cut in.

We stared.

"What?"

Inoichi looked a few seconds from letting his head hit the table, but with a nudge of his hand Shikaku redirected his fall path until he collapsed onto Chouza. The Akimichi continued eating, serenely ignoring the deadweight that suddenly landed on him.

Something muffled came from Genma's direction.

Minoru poked him, as the closest and bravest one, "What?"

"She's not Yamanaka's intern," the unofficial spokesperson of the Poison squad said glumly, "She's _mine_."

Appalled (on Inoichi's end) and considering (on ours) silence.

"Ino says she's bored, if you can believe it. Since Ibiki won't let her-"

"You won't let her," Chouza interjected as he took another bite of his skewer; Ibiki's face was expressionless but gave a discreet thumbs-up behind them. Shikaku was only watching all of us.

Inoichi glared, "Fine. Since _I_ won't let her down into the deeper cells, she says there's not much more for her to learn."

There was a considering pause, and I floated my question out cautiously, "Is she wrong?"

He glared at me and I raised an eyebrow.

The head of T&I deflated and took another gulp of his drink, "No."

"Well," Eri said reasonably, "You had to let her out of your clutches eventually. Poison's not a bad place to go, really-"

"She'll learn a lot, maybe even from me if she can make it past Genma," Anko chimed in.

"-there you are, then," Eri waved down the waiter and ordered our usual drinks before sending him off again, "Really, if that's the worst that's happened to you, Intern Night's going to be outright _tame_ from now on."

"If I had heard you say that last week, I'd have worried you cursed me," Inoichi's voice got even _more_ glum, if that was possible.

"It can't be _that_ bad-"

"Inuzuka Kiba."

I coughed. Eri bit the inside of her cheek. Ichiro only drank from his glass, but looked a little more perked up than before.

Hisakawa didn't even bother muffling himself, "Oh, gods, really?"

"A New Student To Teach The Foundations of the Arts of Interrogation, Inoichi-san?" Gai bellowed, "You Must Be So Pleased!"

"Gai, _why_ ," Inoichi whimpered. Everyone else in Gai's voice trajectory had leaned back, as if to lessen the impact. Silly things. There _was_ no lessening the impact, just getting out of the way, as Eri, Hisakawa, and I, by proximity, quickly learned.

"A New Student in the Ways of Youth Is No Small Thing, Inoichi-san!" Gai stuck out a thumbs-up and a quick grin-sparkle, "You Must Be Proud and Show Him Other Ways of Being a Great Ninja!"

Inoichi's only response was to clutch his drink tighter and stare into it woefully before tipping it up. Gai solemnly held up his hand for a high-five, which I returned, to Shikaku's amusement. Eri and Minoru couldn't stop snickering next to us.

"Half the time, Gai," Shikaku said conversationally, "I can't tell if you're being truly sincere, and then you do something like that, and you keep me guessing."

Coming from Shikaku, that was saying a lot. Of course, we Librarians knew Gai was a troll when he wanted to be--his sense of humor had us in stitches at times--but we weren't about to let the Nara Head in on that.

"Well," Eri said thoughtfully, "It could be worse."

"Or better," Minoru chimed in, "Like us. So much better. So exciting. I love it."

Shikaku honed his focus on Minoru, who to his credit didn't look fazed in the slightest, "What are you talking about?"

I looked at Gai. Gai looked at me. Ichiro and the others looked alarmed.

"Did he drink anything before we got here?" I said incredulously, "How on earth did he miss that?"

"They were already imbibing when I arrived," Gai returned, swiping our drinks off the waiter's tray in a flash.

"Wait," I turned to Shikaku, "What on earth has driven you to drink already-"

"Sasuke's my intern."

My question stumbled to a crashing halt, "Oh. Well, that'll do it." Chouza patted his teammate on the back sympathetically and kept eating.

"He's practically crawling up the walls," Shikaku sighed, "When he's not trying to sneak into restricted files and the classified stacks he's brooding and making my coders twitch. The kid's got a thousand-yard stare to rival Hiashi on a bad day."

"That's something I want to see," Ichiro sounded admiring, but I wasn't altogether certain he wasn't trying to egg Shikaku on.

"I really don't think I do," Genma rolled his head to eyeball the Nara, "And I'd rather keep my Yamanaka, thank you very much. Distraction while you're brewing toxins can kill you. Yamanaka may be a bit flighty but at least she can focus on what she's doing, not where she's wanting to go."

"Kid's got tunnel vision like you wouldn't believe," Shikaku muttered. Ibiki gave another thumbs-up in agreement from against the wall.

"Neji," I pointed out but Shikaku shook his head.

"Not the same." And with that we sidestepped the discussion of Clan Branding versus Clan Genocide with as much grace and subtlety as Chouza's Baika No Jutsu in a tea house. 

"Well," Eri offered, "You could always make him nap. That's what you do half the time in Tactical, anyway."

"Don't-"

"Tell Yoshino," we chorused, having heard and said it hundreds of times before. We sat and drank for several minutes before Chouza spoke up for the first time that evening, earlier remark aside.

"Send him to me instead."

Shikaku looked at his teammate, nonplussed. The rest of us were just as confused.

The Akimichi clarified, "You can't have tunnel vision in Logistics. You have to know how everything connects and how to take care of everyone. If there's ever a time to find out if he can see beyond himself, now's the moment. Besides," he added on mildly, as if it was no consequence, "He's much too skinny."

"Is he." Gai's eyes narrowed and I squeezed his elbow warningly. If the Akimichis already knew about it, there was no need for Gai to get involved.

"Chouji says so, and I certainly wouldn't discount it," Chouza continued, "So if you are going to hand me Sasuke, you take Naruto. He's got to learn proper focus, and I think you'll be able to help."

"If I can get him to sit for five minutes, maybe," Shikaku retorted, but we could already see his thoughts turning inward, rotating the problem around this way and that, and we knew Chouza had him. None of us failed to notice the potential chokehold Chouza could put on Shikaku either, considering their current seating position. The Nara, self-preservation instinct coming into play, noticed this as well.

"I'll see what I can do," he agreed.

Chouza smiled, "Excellent. I have every confidence in you as my friend and teammate," and went back to eating. We all discreetly breathed sighs of relief.

"Well," Hisakawa said brightly, "At least you won't be bored with your students this go round. We won't be either!"

"What?" said Ichiro, who finally managed to drink enough to speak civilly.

"We got an intern this year!"

Shikaku spit out his drink.

Everyone stared. Except for Gai, who already knew, and was smirking along with Eri and Hisakawa.

"Well," I said, in mock-offended, "No need to look so surprised. I'm hurt. Well," I amended, "A little. Almost. Not really. Nope."

"The Libraries have an intern this year?" Inoichi sounded like he couldn't quite believe his ears, "The Libraries. You. They gave _you_ an impressionable child to wrangle for six weeks."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about wrangling her, really," I said cheerfully as Eri and Minoru gave in to snickers, "She's going to manage just fine. Made her case before the Dean of Students and everything, and Curator-sama decided to go along with it. Soaks in knowledge like nobody's business, she does. Taijutsu's a bit of a disaster, but Gai's working on it," I patted Gai's arm in thanks and he grinned down at me, "Minoru's been having a field day since she started. We think she'll fit in just fine."

Shikaku looked at me in mounting horror and comprehension, "Good gods. There's going to be _another_ you around in five years, isn't there?"

"The Libraries can certainly use another Librarian," I replied cheerfully, sidestepping his question, "Staff seems to like her. She can already tree walk. Her control is phenomenal. She's got great self-discipline. There's that silly crush she needs to get a handle on, but what preteen doesn't?"

"There go my hopes for a migraine-free life," Shikaku muttered.

I tsked dismissively at him, "Oh, stop that. We keep you on your toes, and you know it. Besides, your son's nipping at your heels in a few years or so, don't you think?"

Shikaku glared at the reminder and Ibiki flashed the ANBU sign for 'good job'.

"Lead-Keeper wants her in the ducts as soon as she gets fit enough," Eri added, exquisitely timed so Inoichi would inhale his drink and start to choke.

Ichiro looked smug, "I was wondering why you were so cheerful when you came to Intern Night tonight. Usually you're all looking rather predatory."

Genma finally managed to stop laughing and held his drink up to his forehead, "So who is this paragon of a student?"

"I thought we gave you enough clues," Hisakawa pouted, "I mean, she's smart. Is super adorable. Has amazing hair."

They still looked uncomprehending and I sighed, "Chouza, you really must curb their drinking tendencies earlier if they can't figure this out by now. Good gods. Haruno Sakura could do so much better than you both right now. Oh, wait. That's because she's our intern."

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura. The only civilian-born shinobi of this year's class?" Anko clarified and we nodded.

"Huh," she settled back in her chair, "I've heard interesting things about that girl. A few negative points about her taijutsu and conditioning, but it sounds like you're getting that straightened out. First-class mind, though. Genjutsu type. You're already looking into it?"

"Yeah," I considered her, "I wouldn't mind passing her along to you or Kurenai, if you think it's worth it."

Anko hmmed thoughfully, "Keep me posted. I might have some ideas."

"As long as she comes back in one piece," Eri said dryly, "You're a bit--intense. In a good way. But. Yeah."

"Appreciate it," I tilted my head towards Anko before redirecting my attention to Shikaku, "Here we thought you'd congratulate us on finally catching an intern."

"I thought there wasn't anyone good enough," he returned. Chouza was _still_ eating, but flicked his gaze from Shikaku to me and back again.

I shrugged, not falling for it, "Nobody else made it past the Dean. And Curator-sama."

"Man, to have been a fly on the wall for _that_ conversation," Ichiro stretched in his chair, "Girl's got guts, gotta admit."

Ichiro wasn't wrong. The Dean was known as being eccentric, contrary, and all-around difficult, but also thorough and terrifyingly competent. Curator-sama was the only member of the Council to consistently get along with him, and even then blowups between the two were a sight to behold. The Dean ran his Division with a Gentle Iron Fist, as the expression went, which seemed to have served him well since he took over the office from his predecessor. The only student to have been having difficulties was Uzumaki Naruto, and even then once he got reassigned to Iruka's class after the Dean got wind of it he was improving at a slow and steady pace. There were whispers that a current investigation was being conducted right now targeting some of the teachers and Konoha's jinkchuuriki, but I didn't know about it much. Point was, the Dean was an intimidating individual to most, if not all of his students.

Of course, I didn't really see what the fuss was about, but considering I had Curator-sama as a boss, people told me my perception of things was a little skewed. Still, Sakura was a tiny student, and to go and meet with the Dean herself took guts not many kids her age had.

"Iruka brought her in the first day last week," I continued, "And I took her up to Curator-sama. What was it she told them?" I looked up to the ceiling, "Oh, yes. 'S-rank shinobi protecting S-rank secrets'. Delightful."

"She did _not_ ," Genma's eyes widened. Ibiki was unreadable, but flashed a thumbs-up. Ichiro gaped.

" 'Not ANBU? She shook her head. I think Librarians are stronger'."

" _No._ "

Eri started cackling, "You didn't tell me that part!"

I waved a hand languidly at her, "Surprise."

"This internship," Minoru said with relish, "Is going to be amazing."

I clinked my glass obligingly with his, "You said it."


	9. Sakura 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're doing it wrong."
> 
> I _nearly_ jumped but remembered how much pain I'd be in from overextending my hip if I jarred myself suddenly and deliberately exhaled, long and slow, relaxing further into the pose for a full 10 seconds before raising myself back up to stare Hyuuga Neji in the eye.
> 
> "That's nice," I said evenly, "But unless you're going to be constructive I'd rather you go away."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will hopefully continue to update biweekly.
> 
> Thanks again for reading, please comment/leave kudos as desired. :)
> 
> Next chapter will be longer. I'm tending to keep Sakura's moments a little shorter because they're more interludes than chapters, and I'm wanting to provide brief snapshots of her perspective. This might change in the next story, though.

"Bye, Kaa-san, bye, Tou-san!" I headed out the door after giving both my parents a hug and kiss and moved down the street. Mom had taken notice of my outfit change and had bought me more shirts and pants in the style I now favored, noting with some surprise how much more practical and cute it was on me compared to my old dress. Never mind that my parents _got_ me that old dress. I guessed as you got older your memory became that much more selective.

This week my training was reversed, so now I was training in the mornings and working in the library in the afternoons/early evenings. Kitō-sensei told me that I'd be working the evening/overnight shifts the middle two weeks of my internship before flipping back for the last third, and was gradually scaling my sleep cycle so I would be able to rest effectively. That meant during those middle weeks I'd be training less with Gai and the others during the day, and would focus more on my general endurance and chakra control. This also, she explained as she handed me a heavy book on the basics of sealing (also telling me to ask Tenten if I had questions) kept my metabolism from getting too accustomed to the workout schedule and forced my body to keep building muscle at an accelerated pace. That and coursing my chakra through my body during those exercises made me that much stronger--I absentmindedly lifted a 20lb bag of rice one-handed for my mom the other day to put in the store room, and I didn't even notice the weight until she commented on it.

I was even more excited for those middle two weeks. Lead-Keeper-sama said she'd take me into the crawl spaces during my evening/overnight shifts, and I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about. 

Every day I was more and more grateful that Curator-sama accepted me into the Libraries as an intern. It definitely wasn't boring, as I overheard Shikamaru sometimes complain. Ino was doing pretty well in her internship from what she told me when I got flowers for Kaa-san, and I hadn't really seen any of the others in our class since our internship period started.

Well, except Sasuke. I nodded as I walked by him again, saying my usual, "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" before continuing on my way. I had forgotten until this internship started that the Uchiha compound was pretty close to my neighborhood, and I would see him in the mornings walking to his assigned Division. During usual Academy days he always got to school absurdly early before I had even stepped out the door.

Interestingly enough, I still got butterflies and tingles whenever I saw him or spoke to him, but it was becoming easier and less scary. I actually enjoyed telling him good morning every day instead of wanting to melt into the ground. 

_You're not acting like a fangirl anymore,_ Inner commented wryly, _So you have less to be embarrassed about._

 _Gee,_ my lips twitched as I started to move around my crush, _Thanks._

"Haruno."

My eyes bugged and I spun, "Sasuke-kun?"

His hands were in his pockets and he tilted his head at me, "...Good morning."

I could feel my eyes light up but I already saw his hands tighten in his pockets, and his neck hunch downwards a little bit, and I realized he was waiting for me to fangirl all over him, like I'd done a zillion times before. Inner was right. I blinked. I wasn't exactly hurt, but I was embarrassed that that was all he seemed to expect from me. I remembered all the times I giggled with Ino, and fought with Ami and the others in class over Sasuke, and how he never said anything. And neither did anyone else. Was that what _everyone_ seemed to expect from me? 

_We'll show him! We'll show them too! Shannaro!_

My eyes narrowed for a half a second before I deliberately relaxed my stance and kept my grip light on my bento box, "So, Sasuke-ku-" he winced and I hurriedly changed it, "-san?"

How had I never noticed he hated me using that suffix?

What else had I missed?

 _Freak out later!_ Inner reminded me, _You have his attention, now's your chance!_

"...Sasuke's fine." Sasuke started to walk past me and I hurried to catch up.

"Okay, then, Sasuke. Um," I winced when my voiced wobbled, "Sorry about using -kun this whole time."

He shrugged.

I was quiet for a minute before speaking again, "So, where's your internship? If you don't mind me asking?" I squeaked towards the end.

"..."

I backpedaled, "Um, never mind then, it's fine, I-"

"I was in Tactics," he said abruptly, "But then I got moved to Logistics this week."

I blinked, processing.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "What?"

I opened my mouth, closed it. Now I knew why Kitō-sensei did that so often, "I don't know, I guess, just--I wouldn't have expected you in either one."

"Hn."

I hurriedly added on, feeling like I was flailing through this whole conversation, but at the same time not wanting it to stop, "Well, Tactical you already do pretty well in, I remember your scores," I blushed and moved on in the hopes he wouldn't realize how fangirly that sounded (maybe I came across as analytical? _Hah. Nope._ ), "But Logistics is really more for--" I stopped, realization blooming in my mind, "Oh. That makes sense."

Sasuke kept looking at me as we walked and I side-eyed him back, not sure if I should voice my train of thought out loud.

"What?"

Thinking of Kitō-sensei and Gai-sensei, I mentally shrugged and went for it, "You've got really great focus, Sasuke-k-" I winced and corrected myself, "Sorry. Sasuke. But that focus is usually on one thing. Which, um," I tried to adopt how I've seen the Librarians explain things to patrons, "When you think of Logistics, what is it to you? Just supplies and demand, or what?"

He shrugged but didn't say anything. Encouraged, I continued, "Logistics is everything. Well, everything material, usually," I corrected myself, "You're seeing how every Division works together. What everyone needs. What they don't. You learn how to juggle responsibilities. How to focus on more than one thing at a time. That's important," I paused.

It looked like my crush was eyeing me with real interest now, but I didn't continue until he nodded, "Genin are never teams of one," I said softly, "If you're going to achieve your goals, whatever they are, you'll have to work with other people."

"And right now I don't?" he scoffed.

I pointedly didn't say a word. 

I loved Sasuke-kun. _Sasuke_ , I reminded myself. But I liked to think I wasn't clueless as to his or my classmates' faults. Or weaknesses. We were gonna be shinobi, after all.

"...hn."

I looked at the sun and bit off an explanation, "Sorry, Sasuke, but I'm going to be late if I don't get going. Good morning!"

I started to jog off when he called my name again.

I turned.

"Where are you, then?"

I smiled, "Oh, nowhere too interesting. Just the Libraries."

I turned back around, not seeing his eyes widen in surprise, and quickly headed toward Training Ground 6.

_**Some time later** _

Lee and Gai were off running laps around the village and were due back any second now. Tenten was looking through her summoning scrolls and was about to move on to something else while Neji was meditating nearby. I was moving through my yoga katas that Kitō-sensei had assigned me with Gai's modifications as needed, and was currently trying to circulate my chakra while easing into the pretzel-like position the routine demanded, when a cold voice interrupted my focus.

"You're doing it wrong."

I _nearly_ jumped but remembered how much pain I'd be in from overextending my hip if I jarred myself suddenly and deliberately exhaled, long and slow, relaxing further into the pose for a full 10 seconds before raising myself back up to stare Hyuuga Neji in the eye. 

"That's nice," I said evenly, "But unless you're going to be constructive I'd rather you go away."

Guess he wasn't meditating then.

Up until this point, Hyuuga Neji had steadfastly ignored my existence. I didn't blame him--the way he and Lee sparred showed just how woefully behind I was when it came to taijutsu, although Gai-sensei had high hopes for the form he was teaching me. When Neji did spare a comment for my hearing, it was usually condescending and unhelpful. His remark just now was case in point. He was also a Hyuuga and a prodigy, so I wanted to avoid his bad side as much as I could. 

That did not mean, however, that I would let him walk all over me in order to avoid conflict. 

Tenten's snicker from where she started cleaning her chained weapons could be easily taken for a cough, but I had been training long enough with her by now I could tell the difference. Tenten, out of everyone in Team Gai, was my favorite. The clear mastery she had over so many different weapons was a pretty big part of that. The way she handled her teammates was another. I was taking mental notes from her in how to deal with Sasuke and Naruto. We had had some good talks since I first met her last week.

"Yeah, Neji," she teased, "Be constructive."

Her teammate eyed the weapon she was holding, which could have been a chigiriki in disguise. He was far enough out of range for a staff, but not for a chigiriki, and he knew it. We had seen her knock Lee off a training pole with those multiple times, but she always rotated the casing so we never got used to what they looked like.

Evidently he wasn't willing to take that risk. He sighed and reached over towards me. I tensed, eyeballing him.

Neji huffed, "Be at ease, we are not sparring," and put one hand on my right shoulder, the other on my waist, and turned my body so I was in better alignment for the position, and with a nudge eased me down again. With a start I could feel my pathways relaxing from their scrunched position before and I looked at him gratefully.

"Thanks, that really helped."

"Stay there for 15 seconds, then do it again," he responded, "I'll know if you don't."

"It's the eyes," Tenten whispered loudly, "He's watching. Always, always watching."

"Tenten."

"Yes," She said innocently, "I'm just helping my poor student learn proper weapon maintenance, don't mind me."

" _Tenten_."

"I think there's a green-clad monster we both know who desires your attention, Neji," his teammate called out and a "Yosh! I am a beast!" and "My Youthful Students, We Have Returned!" rebounded through the trees.

Tenten confessed she _still_ didn't know how Lee and Gai managed to hear us from so far away. We refused to speculate for the sake of our sanity.

Neji sighed, "You know the rest of the exercises."

"Buh- _bye_ , Neji."

I was taking a deep breath at the time and _refused_ to laugh, but it was close. I almost hiccuped and shot her a glare. She only waved at me cheerfully.

I straightened up for a couple seconds, then launched into the same pose on the other side, keeping what Neji said in mind.

"You are a menace," I told her and Tenten only laughed.

"If you keep him off balance with little jokes that don't hurt it's easy to keep him from getting mad," she told me as she sealed her chigiriki back into her scroll and summoned a kusarigama, "Which keeps him in a better mood for dealing with Lee, which means _I_ don't have to worry about them killing each other."

I bit my lip as my head tilted towards my foot, "I honestly thought it'd take longer than a week."

"Oh?" Tenten's voice was innocuous and that niggled at the back of my head long enough that I turned to look at her. She blinked at me, polishing rag steadily moving over her weapon's blade.

I narrowed my eyes at her, "You were in Interrogation, weren't you."

She shrugged, "Was I?"

"You were," I said with finality as I looked back down at my foot, "Ino's one of my best friends. I can tell."

"You weren't the only one who guessed who your teammates would be, Sakura-chan," Tenten's voice was dry, "I figured knowing how to manipulate people would be good for helping balance my teammates."

"They don't underestimate you either," my voice was muffled as I continued to stretch and focus on my chakra circulation.

She didn't respond until I straightened up, "And by the time we're through with you, neither will yours."

I didn't ask for reassurance. Tenten didn't say something unless she meant it; I learned that the first time she threatened to come after me with a battle pipe and then actually _did so_. While hilarious, looking back on it, I haven't doubted her word since.

I shook out my arms and legs and caught the hachiwari she tossed me, then settled into my form's First position. I was going to get stronger. I was going to be a balance between my teammates and then Sasuke would finally _see_ me. And Ino. I'd show everybody!

I'd make Kitō-sensei proud. That was fast becoming a priority.

Tenten smirked at me and I couldn't help but grin back.

"Let's begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are all awkward when we talk to crushes. All of us. Everyone. Even if we feel it only on the inside, we are all nervous wrecks one way or another. Sakura's got Inner to help her along. Anyway, hope that didn't seem too OOC. I feel like Sakura might hit a steep maturation curve over the course of this story because of her mentors and the general shinobi universe. We'll see. 
> 
> Also, doesn't anybody else wonder what could have happened if Team Gai and Team 7 trained together on the reg? I wonder. I wonder a lot.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I turned and raised an eyebrow at the jinkchuuriki, who was scuffling his feet on one of Mr. Big's lower branches and scowling, "Mr. Big might like you, but the day I don't realize there's someone in or near the Library is the day Curator-sama murders me. And I'd deserve it."
> 
> "I would not," a voice echoed from the open door, just barely audible (Curator-sama must have been across the room inside, or using the ducts. They did that sometimes), "Because then _I'd_ have to do all the legwork."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been so, so busy. I graduate with my master's this semester, I'm working 2 jobs in my chosen field, and I have my own business. I'm trying to get wedding gifts done for my friend this summer too, and I'm writing this story. Sorry in advance if there are any more delays (there just might be). 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, I really enjoy the comments and the kudos. :)

The second week of Sakura's internship was proving to be very beneficial to my young student and to the library staff. Having an Academy student around had made some of the younger patrons feel more comfortable approaching the librarians to ask us questions, and sometimes we redirected them to Sakura to give her some people to practice her conversational skills on. At this point she had learned the ins and outs of the library well enough to direct visitors to the floor they needed to go to, or at least knew who to send them to when she was stuck. Sometimes what she said worked and sometimes it didn't, but at the end of every shift before the next part of her day we went over what she had done that shift and what she would be expected to study next. I could see some of Tenten's influence on her already when she asked questions and got the younger patrons to settle down without having Saito needing to interfere, and I was extremely pleased with her progress. I had plans for her to begin to learn sealing the second half of this week, if only to prepare her for her weeks with Lead-Keeper. Taijutsu-wise, I'd wait until I saw Gai again at Intern Night.

This particular morning Sakura had already bolted past me inside after saying hello, grinning idiotically (with nostalgia I remembered my younger days as a preteen) as I was finishing propping the doors open for the day.

I called up without looking, "Saito's going to be sad that you're hiding up there and not joining the other kids in the Library, munchkin."

An indignant squawk echoed through the Atrium before I heard a thump in the tree behind me. I serenely ignored it and tucked my keys back into my vest pocket.

"How did ya know I was there, Kitō-san?" then, quieter, "I'm not a _munchkin_ , dangit." 

I turned and raised an eyebrow at the jinkchuuriki, who was scuffling his feet on one of Mr. Big's lower branches and scowling, "Mr. Big might like you, but the day I don't realize there's someone in or near the Library is the day Curator-sama murders me. And I'd deserve it."

"I would not," a voice echoed from the open door, just barely audible (Curator-sama must have been across the room inside, or using the ducts. They did that sometimes), "Because then _I'd_ have to do all the legwork."

"Good to know you care, Curator-sama," I said dryly.

I raised an eyebrow at Naruto giggling up in the branches, "Their range gets bigger all the time. Be sure to think about what you say unless you want them to hear you-"

"Like I'm doing right now?" echoed Curator-sama's voice, this time from farther above me with a hint of an echo. Definitely using the ducts, then.

I looked heavenward.

Sighed.

"Very good, Kitō-chan. See me in my office later." And with that Curator-sama's attention was taken up by something else, as through the ducts a _clang_ of a panel clicking shut could be heard.

Naruto only laughed harder.

I gave him a moment--it was pretty funny--before I ambled over to his perch on Mr. Big, speaking conversationally all the while, "So why are you hiding from Nara-san now, Naruto?"

"I'm not _hiding_."

My gaze turned skeptical as I gazed up at him, but my tone was mild, "Sorry, but why else are you relaxing in Mr. Big's branches this morning? I know Nara-san is expecting you."

Naruto scowled, tugging at his shirt which, I noticed with surprise, was not his orange jumpsuit. Sure, there was still orange in it, but his shirt was black and gray with deep sienna details and his pants matched, and he wore his black sandals instead of his usual blue ones.

"That's new," I kept my voice from sounding too surprised, "Do you like them?"

Naruto's frown grew and, seeing how bothered he looked, I hopped up next to him in Mr. Big, ignoring the patrons coming through the Atrium doorways. Sakura already knew what she needed to do, and the staff could live without me for a few more minutes.

"What's wrong?"

I knew Naruto didn't have many friends, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. At the same time, it wasn't as good as it could have been, either. Unlike practically everywhere else in the Village, we had made it clear (or rather, Curator-sama made it clear with immediate termination at a minimum if we disobeyed) that Naruto was welcome in the Library at all times. His ANBU detail kept villagers from physically harassing him, and whenever me or the staff were out and about we'd intervene if anyone tried to bully him, but we couldn't be everywhere all the time, and Hokage-sama forbade any direct involvement regarding his heritage or his parents, which we tolerated. 

For now.

Eri-chan told me as soon as there was a remotely viable excuse she was going to drag him over to the Uzushio Quarter to be taken care of, Hokage's orders or not. Neither me or Curator-sama saw any need to gainsay her, especially since, as Curator-sama put it, "The staff are the only ones when it comes to jinkchuuriki who have more sense than the gods gave an ant." Which, given the staff's collective and extensive knowledge of sealing, was not a surprise.

Uzumaki hunched his shoulders, "Mizuki-sensei was arrested last night."

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh?"

I knew that he and Mizuki didn't get along, and they were both under investigation, but I didn't think that they'd arrest the teacher quite so soon. I put my hand on his shoulder when he threatened to droop so far he'd fall off the branch, "...my jumpsuit ripped and Iruka-sensei says I can't wear it for missions in the future because it's got a weak spot now, so Nara-sama took me to get new clothes."

I hmmed thoughtfully, waiting him out.

Naruto whispered, "Iruka-sensei got hurt protecting me from Mizuki-sensei."

I tilted my head and wrapped an arm around Uzumaki's unresisting shoulders, giving him a hug. He didn't say anything more. He didn't need to.

After some minutes went by I spoke, "Iruka-sensei's going to be okay, right?" I felt him nod against my shoulder and I sighed, "Well, I always thought Mizuki was an asshole."

That made him giggle and I rubbed his arm soothingly, "Can I ask what happened?"

"Won't you find out anyway?"

"Well, yes," I said mildly, "But I thought I'd be nice and polite and ask you first."

"You just like to gossip," Naruto retorted and didn't duck the gentle swipe I made to the back of his head, "I'm not wrong."

"Talk, munchkin," I told him, and he filled me in on the whole disaster one reluctant sentence at a time.

"Well," I said finally when he finished, "I didn't think Mizuki was that much of an idiot, but I have to admit that I was wrong. For once."

"Whaddaya mean, Kitō-san?"

My lips twitched, "Did it ever occur to him to just come and make a request for the Scroll of Seals?"

Naruto gaped, "He could have done that? But he said it was sealed by the First!"

"Well, yeah," I patted Mr. Big's branch and hopped down, motioning for him to follow me, "But there's a lot of things sealed by the previous Hokages that can be unlocked depending on the circumstances. We do it when there's a good case for it. We don't do it very _often_ , no, but we do review and grant requests as needed. He didn't even file a request to access it; I would have remembered. And in your case," I looked down at him and ruffled his hair, "I think there's a good enough reason to unlock it. You're having problems with making clones, right? And that's the only thing holding you back?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Kitō-san."

I shrugged, "There's a justu in there that I think will be perfect for you."

_"Really?!"_

I grinned down at him as I opened the doors, "Let's go talk to Curator-sama."

\---

"You want to open the Scroll of Seals for Naruto because he can't do any other clone jutsu because he has too much chakra from his houseguest because you're feeling spiteful and want to give Naruto a chance to look at something that Mizuki-sensei wanted to steal because you think it'll help him finally pass the Academy exams and graduate on time and because you think the Shadow Clone Jutsu is the only one that will work?" Naruto snorted at Curator-sama's choice of words where he sat at their desk, eating a couple pieces of candy Curator-sama had been keeping lately for Sakura-chan whenever she stopped by.

I leaned against the office doorway, "We all know what his seal looks like, Curator-sama. And the potential difficulties."

They reclined back in their chair and began spinning it around idly with their foot as they thought, "You're not wrong. The Council might have a conniption about it though."

I raised an eyebrow as I moved further inside the office, "Since when do you care?"

Curator-sama stopped spinning their chair and considered for half a second before nodding, "You have a point."

"Does that mean I get to learn the jutsu?"

"Yes, but," they raised a finger right as Naruto was about to cheer, "It's a conditional yes."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion and I bit my cheek hard to keep from smirking, "What does that mean?"

"We have to look at your seal, first of all, to see if it will cooperate when you perform the jutsu," they explained, "And we also have to let the Hokage and the Dean of Students know what we're going to do if they wish to be present, and lodge any protests if they don't want you to learn it. Which I doubt, but you never know."

"Oji-san might try to stop you," Naruto said grumpily.

Curator-sama smirked, "You don't have anything to worry about, munchkin."

He really didn't. To the rest of the populace of Konoha, the Hokage was the absolute power of the Village, the one everyone followed and obeyed. However, the farther up the hierarchy you went, the more power you wielded, and the more tightly bound you were to your role in the village. While Hokage-sama was tehnically the dictator of the village, the structure of the government was really more of an oligarchy than anything else. Curator-sama in their way was as powerful as Hokage-sama; not all of the Council was, but Curator-sama was one of the few. They could have run the village, but told me once that on top of what they had to do for the Libraries it'd be way too much work. I agreed.

"Stop calling me that!" he scowled but we could tell he wasn't serious, "Is that it?"

I nodded.

"Pretty much," I flicked my gaze to Curator-sama and they inclined their head in assent, "We'll give them a couple days to respond. Should Sakura observe?"

They hmmed thoughtfully, "Yes. I think it'll be a good educational opportunity for her."

"Not too dangerous?"

"I wouldn't hurt Sakura-chan!" Naruto blustered but I shook my head.

"That's not what I meant, Naruto. Sakura's our first intern here and we'd rather not give shinobi more reasons to go after her than they already do just because she's our intern."

Naruto started to open his mouth, saw Curator's raised eyebrow, then subsided with a grumble.

"Fine," he groused and I bit my lip.

"Thanks for your permission," Curator-sama said dryly and Uzumaki flushed. We all turned when we heard the tap on the doorway.

"Curator-sama? You sent for me-" Sakura blinked when she saw who was in the room, "-hello, Naruto," he waved at her cheerfully with a grin, "Curator-sama-"

"Take him over to Circulation," Curator-sama interrupted her, "There's something Lead-Keeper needs to check."

Sakura blinked.

Curator-sama raised an eyebrow. My tiny student looked at me, questions in her eyes.

"You heard Curator-sama," I nodded towards Naruto, "I'll fill you in later."

She blinked again, then shifted her gaze to her classmate, "Come on, then. Let's go see what's going on with you and Lead-Keeper."

"Okay, Sakura-chan!" Naruto bounced up from his seat and high-fived me on his way out, "Thanks, Kitō-san! Thanks, Curator-sama! See you later! Hey Sakura, what's it like working here? Is it fun? I heard-" Curator-sama's office door clicked shut on the rest of his words.

I flopped into the chair Naruto had vacated and propped my feet up onto the arm of the chair next to it, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"That whole debacle, actually," Curator-sama rubbed their face with their hands, "But since Naruto was there in the Atrium I figured you'd get him to tell you without me having to do anything."

I flapped a hand at them and they sighed, "In any case, the fact that Uzumaki was able to get past security at the Hokage Residence is statement enough."

I shrugged, "Hokage-sama lets him visit all the time; the ANBU there probably didn't think anything of it."

"Not at two in the morning," they said wryly as they leaned forward to grab their cup of tea, "It was a minimal rotation that night; Hokage-sama was visiting his grandson. That's how they missed him sneaking in."

I blinked, "How did Mizuki-san know about the guard rotation then, if he sent Naruto to go grab the scroll?"

"Oh, I'm sure T&I will get it out of him one way or another, with a bit of work," Curator-sama said airily.

That was an understatement.

"Was that all, Curator-sama?"

"No, actually," they looked directly in my eyes, "There was a kidnapping attempt this week on Sakura-chan. Rock."

Silence.

"Well," I deliberately relaxed my hands where they were nestled in my lap, "They didn't succeed, since that was Sakura in the hallway, and nobody's died that I've heard about. Tokuma and Hoheto? They've been keeping an eye on her comings and goings."

This must have been on Intern Night last week. The staff knew better than to not inform me immediately if anything happened to Sakura. If Curator-sama had it in hand though, I didn't need to be _quite_ as concerned.

They nodded, "Yes. We might need to put more staff on rotation for her; Sakura doesn't even know it happened."

"We should probably tell her," I mused, "I warned her that it might happen, so it'd be good for her to know."

"I leave it up to you to decide," they sipped their tea, "What do you think of her progress?"

"You've seen my reports."

They shrugged so I took that as the go-ahead to elaborate, "I think she'll be a credit to the Libraries if she decides to stick around. Soaks up knowledge like a sponge, adapts quickly and easily to changes in lifestyle and training, has patience when it comes to patrons and flexibility when it comes to teaching or directing them to resources. Fabulous chakra control, taijutsu is improving quickly since Gai is working with her. Ninjutsu I thought to leave at least some up to her genin sensei and sealing I was going to have Tenten and Lead-Keeper introduce her to this week or next week."

"Amaya-chan," they tilted their head at me, "You know that's not what I meant."

I slid farther down into the chair and my legs moved onto the other chair seat, considerng.

"I like her," I said finally, "I think she's got real aptitude for being a Librarian. I'm not sure what kind yet, but it's only the second week in and there's a lot for her to learn. The staff like her too, which is a plus."

"And Naruto?"

I spun my head so fast I almost got whiplash, "I am not poaching Naruto from Nara-san, Curator-sama. He'd find some exceedingly obscure and irritating way to make my life more difficult, and I'm already busy enough. Besides, Naruto's an interesting enough project for him right now, unlike Sasuke from what I understand."

"Whoever assigned that original pairing was an idiot," they muttered, "At least he's with the Akimichi instead; Chouza should get him well in hand before they form into a team together."

I blinked, "Are you _plotting_?"

Not that this didn't happen on a regular basis. But it was exceedingly weird to hear them thinking out loud about it. Usually we were only witness to the aftershocks of whatever they came up with.

"I might be," they admitted, "Sasuke's gotten curious about Sakura interning here, Naruto's already welcome here and if Lead-Keeper does what I think she will, it's only a matter of time before he gets interested in the Libraries too. And Sasuke--well," they set their tea aside and folded their hands together, considering, "I think we might end up with a Library team for a change."

I gaped.

"He wants power," Curator-sama elaborated, "And to a certain extent, we can give it to him. Chouza's going to teach him why teamwork is important. If the three of them work together for the Library, they'd be something extraordinary one day. And with the work we do with murder materials-"

I smirked hearing Eri's new term.

"-a team like them will be invaluable."

I didn't stop staring. They waved their hand in front of me and my jaw closed.

"Sorry," I apologized, "It's just really weird hearing you plot their futures out in advance like a matchmaker. It's a little creepy."

"Oh, shut up," they retorted, "It worked out well enough for you, didn't you?"

I tilted my head back, my expression contemplative.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees," I drew out and ducked the notepad they flung at me.

"Get out of my office."

I waved as I jogged out of there, "Until later, Curator-sama!"

Time to go check up on my tiny student and her future teammate to see what they were up to. The deep _thud_ that reverberated through the building told me I needed to hurry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot's finally getting moving! Yay! As you may already be able to tell canon has diverged slightly at this point, but I like where it's going. Thanks for reading and please leave comments! I love hearing from everyone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "-It's a lovely seal, Lead-san, but it's also completely asymmetrical and giving me a migraine-wait," I leaned over so my head was upside down, "Is that Mr. Big? In a seal?"
> 
> "Yes!" she bounced over to my side, "What do you think?"
> 
> "I think it's a little crazy," I shot back, just to wind her up, "And I'm wondering how on earth you thought testing a seal variant--a nonsymmetrical seal variant to boot--on Naruto was even a good idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe all the kudos and comments. Holy moly! Thanks, everyone, so very much! I'm ecstatic that you-all are enjoying this story and I can't wait to continue it. I graduate at the beginning of next month with my master's and get a well-deserved break then, so be on the lookout for more frequent updates!
> 
> I don't quite like this chapter as much, but hopefully I'll recover from academic burnout and get back in the swing of things with Sakura's next chapter. This one is a little more filler, but I still found it enjoyable. And hey, tidbits of sealing knowledge! Nifty!

"What am I even looking at?" I said finally as I finished circling the seal on the floor.

"Just because you can't appreciate art when you see it-" Lead-Keeper huffed dramatically and I rolled my eyes.

"-It's a lovely seal, Lead-san, but it's also completely asymmetrical and giving me a migraine-wait," I leaned over so my head was upside down, "Is that Mr. Big? In a seal?"

"Yes!" she bounced over to my side, "What do you think?"

"I think it's a little crazy," I shot back, just to wind her up, "And I'm wondering how on earth you thought testing a seal variant--a nonsymmetrical seal variant to boot--on Naruto was even a good idea."

Lead-Keeper waved her hand as if to bat my words out of the air, Naruto and Sakura standing a few paces back from the circle watching our exchange with wide eyes. Eri had a hand on both their shoulders, muttering explanations in their ears of what we were doing as Lead and I continued to tweak the seal on the floor.

We were in one of Circulation's larger containment chambers for materials, which was completely and perfectly circular with no ceiling, just rock that sloped upwards all around us. There was no worry about intruders because anyone who happened to sneak in was caught by one of the several dozen hidden seals embedded in the walls with chakra. These seals had been added by library staff over the years, and while only staff knew each seal and its purpose (as Sakura would one day if she continued down the Libraries path), intruding shinobi couldn't and didn't account for all of them, since they either died from the seals' effects or were caught, rendering any knowledge of our seal work moot anyway.

The chamber made a perfect place to examine all kinds of works and texts brought back in from the field, especially because if any explosions occurred or traps set off they could be funneled outward instead of blasting through the rest of the Library. Considering the laws of physics, some of those traps should go horizontal instead of being shot upward, but physics got a little-- _weird_ around places with lots of seals. Something I'd explain to Sakura another time. 

"You don't think that," Lead patted my shoulder absently as she made an adjustment next to me.

"No, I don't," I smirked, "I just like winding you up. It's a variant of the Tree of Life seal, with Mr. Big as Naruto's anchor point. Good choice, if you're going to experiment on an Academy student. By the way, what was that thud I heard echoing through the halls earlier? I thought you started without me."

"No," I could see the tip of Lead-Keeper's tongue between her teeth as she focused, "Hisakawa did something downstairs again. Or it was Morino. She mentioned something about reducing probabilities."

"And it shook the whole floor?" Eri started to ask, then shook her head when I looked up at her, "Never mind. I-"

"-don't want to know," we all echoed except for Naruto, who looked around, confused. Sakura giggled.

"Kitō-sensei, what's the seal for?"

"It's to make you feel safe while we're looking at your abdomen," I called back as I circled the seal's perimeter once again. For all that it was an experimental variation, the Tree of Life seal was probably one of the most benign seals out there, and while placing a depiction of Mr. Big instead of the traditional symbols was going a bit against the rules and made it asymmetrical instead of symmetrical, which affected some output and balance issues, whatever we could do to make Naruto more 'anchored' while we tried not disturb the Kyuubi, the better, "The seal helps remind you of home, of somewhere you feel comfortable, where you feel most relaxed and yourself without anyone's prejudices influencing your thoughts. Where you haven't ever been disturbed." 

"That's it?" Naruto sounded incredulous, then muttered, "I don't know about never _disturbed_ , you all get up to some pretty whack things in the Library-ow, Sakura-chan!"

"You know what she means, Naruto," my tiny student rubbed where she smacked his head briefly before letting up, "I know you're nervous, but don't be difficult."

"Sort of," I knelt and adjusted a small inaccuracy in one of the ordinal points, "Nothing's going to hurt, Naruto. After we activate the Tree of Life seal all we're doing is having you channel some chakra so we can bring your seal on your stomach to the surface, and after taking a look at it teach you the shadow clone jutsu, in case anything happens, like your furry houseguest deciding to make himself known. "

"What's the likelihood of that happening?"

I glanced toward the door from where I was crouched and shrugged, "Not very high, Hokage-sama. But we want to be thorough. Excuse me if I don't rise-"

"Quite all right, Kitō-san," the Hokage made his way around the circle to me while his guard distributed themselves around the perimeter, "I do not want to interrupt delicate work."

Lead-Keeper waved at him and he patted her shoulder as he passed by while Eri, Naruto, and Sakura bowed from their spot by the entrance of the chamber. 

"You are aware of the gag order surrounding Naruto and his--companion," Hokage-sama stated quietly when he reached me.

He was becoming angry, and I could a weight drop on my shoulders and try to drag me down. Considering I was already crouched over working, I didn't let it break my concentration aside from waving away his escort inching back from us and almost treading on the various seal marks.

Not that it bothered me anyway; I found it comforting instead of smothering. Hokage-sama's killing intent rather reminded me of a heavy blanket to burrow in when I was cold.

I shrugged, "Sakura's our intern. She's intelligent. She's _already_ figured out that she'll be Sasuke and Naruto's teammate upon graduation, and leaving a ninja in the dark when it comes to life-or-death intelligence such as this is the height of negligence, which I know a person like yourself is not capable of. It's also stupid."

"Tactful as ever, Kitō-chan," Lead-Keeper said dryly as she stood up to move by my crouched form, "Forgive us, Hokage-sama."

"Oh, no," Sandaime-sama only chuckled as he lit his pipe, "I have always found Kitō-chan a delight."

I snorted, "A source of vexation, you mean, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime only made a thoughtful sound before bending over to take a look at our chalkwork. Seals could be made in a variety of forms, but the darker the substance the more permanent the seal, although it didn't affect the potency. A seal made out of chalk was just as effective as a seal brushed with ink, it just didn't last as long. Plus, chalk was a lot easier to adjust and later clean up than brushed seal work. We did a ton of sealing work in here, and unless an item was particularly dangerous, we usually used chalk as our drawing medium. There were different protocols in place for especially dangerous materials like the scroll I had showed Sakura earlier anyway.

The lessening of his killing intent from our side of the chamber indicated his change in mood from anger to amusement, but I didn't assume he'd forget about it. Neither would Curator-sama, when I reported back to them. Then again, this wasn't the first time we (the library staff and the Libraries, collectively) had tweaked his nose, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

"I hoped you hadn't started without me, and it looks like I got here just in time," the Dean of Students' voice echoed across the chamber as he made his way over to Sakura and Naruto, "Hello, younglings. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you, Dean-sama," Sakura bowed slightly and Naruto hastily copied her, "I am learning more than I could have ever imagined here at the Library. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity."

"And you, Naruto?" The Dean's eyes narrowed slightly but made sure to keep his posture unthreatening.

The Dean himself was what one would call compactly-built; every single action he took had a purpose, every single move he made a reason. While he wasn't particularly tall or bulky, that kind of grace and assurance of self could be intimidating, and he took care to keep from frightening his students. Something in the air surrounding him demanded competence at worst and sans pareil at best. Evidently he took especial care with Naruto, which considering the whole Mizuki-debacle was particularly wise.

We could all see the moment when Naruto was about to blurt out an answer, shut his mouth with a click, visibly think about what he was going to say, and open his mouth again. Sakura's eyes were wide and I know I must have looked almost as surprised. The fact that Shikaku was able to get through to Naruto already was something of a miracle.

"Nara-sama isn't too bad, sir, and he's been teaching me some stuff, even if I still get bored really fast," Naruto's voice was earnest, "He's helped me figure out how to concentrate better although it's still hard to focus a lot of the time."

The Dean patted both their heads before plopping cross-legged on the ground and spreading out the stack of papers he brought with him, "Well, I'm happy to hear it. If there's nothing else, I'll be doing some paperwork while you walk Naruto through the whole process, Kitō-san. I have absolute faith in your ability."

"Of course you do. I appreciate the vote of confidence, Dean-sama," I said wryly and motioned Naruto to come over, "Okay, Naruto, go lay down in the middle of the circle and we'll get started."

"Waste of time," I heard someone mutter in the back, Naruto flinched, "Hokage-sama has more important work to do than to monitor a _jinkchuurki_ of all things-" and my head whipped around to stare the offending speaker in the face--one of Hokage-sama's recently-appointed aides, which was a disappointment if this was the quality of help he was getting nowadays.

"Finish that sentence," I smiled at him, "And I will let Naruto hang you from the Hokage Monument as a Hokage-booger. Maybe Sandaime-sama's, should you be so lucky."

The offending shinobi's mouth shut with a click. With a wave from Hokage-sama he flickered out of the room. I turned back to Naruto, who was shaking helplessly from laughter while trying not to smudge the lines as he began to lay down. Not that Sakura and Eri were helping, because they were giggling too. The Dean only shot a thumbs-up from where he was perusing his paperwork, something he must have picked up from his days on a team with Ibiki.

"Now," I said cheerfully as I knelt by the ignition point for the seal, "How about we get started?"

With flicker of my chakra, the seal began to glow a soft, peaceful green.

A pause, as we waited for the seal to misfire, before relaxing.

"Nice work, Lead-Keeper," I called to her across the circle, and she waved cheerily, "How are you feeling, Naruto?"

"It's really nice," he returned, "It's like I'm on Mr. Big's branches, but I'm _not_ , ya know? Like, I can smell the breeze and see the leaves but I know that I'm not actually on the tree right now? It's kind of confusing."

"You're doing great," I reassured him as Lead-Keeper got up and joined him in the circle, "Lead's gonna take a look at your seal now, could you channel some chakra for us, please?"

"Kitō-sensei," Naruto tilted his head to look at me, worried, "I'm not very good at channeling chakra yet though," he snuck a glance at Sakura before wincing, "I'm really, really bad at it."

"That's okay," I nodded towards Lead-Keeper, "Use however much chakra you feel comfortable with. You won't break anything, I swear. If you use too much chakra it'll just funnel straight up and out of the room."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate, and slowly I could feel the hairs on my arms stand up as more chakra began to circulate within the seal and the seal had to flex its boundaries to accommodate. To compensate, I fed a little more chakra into the seal to strengthen its borders. I glanced towards Sakura to see how she was doing, but she looked fascinated and kept turning her head to ask Eri questions, so I figured she was fine. Dean-sama was continuing his paperwork, although the frown on his face could have been from the chakra in the room or a particularly idiotic memo; both were equally likely.

Hokage-sama only stood next to where I knelt, as solid as the mountain we were standing in. The rest of his entourage hadn't said a word, which could have been from my threat or had better self-discipline than their colleague. I bet on the former; nobody relished being a booger on the Hokage-monument. Whenever Naruto managed to get someone up there it was a bitch to get them down again.

Lead-Keeper knelt next to Naruto and pulled gently on the hem of his shirt so he would lift it up. Her eyebrows raised at whatever it was she saw.

"Eight Trigrams? Really? Seriously? Why didn't the Fourth just _ask_ us? Sealing genius, my foot. Flying Thunder God technique, my butt. Really? _Really?_ " She groused as she gently prodded at Naruto's abdomen, stilling him with a gentle hand when he tried to wriggle, "Granted, for on-the-fly sealing work it's not bad, but it sure as hell isn't that great either. We can fix this. I'm sure Kyuubi-sama isn't comfortable either. Good grief."

"How long would it take before you felt comfortable doing it?" I asked curiously as Naruto simultaneously asked, "Why do we wanna make him more comfortable, huh?"

"I'd want at least a few weeks to do some hardcore research, and considering my other duties, this will take some time since I can't take time off, so we're looking at at least a year if I want to be thorough before I start running tests," Lead-Keeper answered me first and I nodded in reply.

"Think of it this way, Naruto," she let his shirt fall back over his seal once he stopped channeling chakra and he sat up, "The more comfortable Kyuubi-sama is, and the more you talk to him so he better understands humans and human bonds, the more likely it is that he won't be mad at _you_ , and instead may want to help you. Which will make things a lot easier for the pair of you, don't you think?"

"I think," Dean-sama piped up from where he was situated, making a disgusted noise and crossing something out in red marker before continuing, "That at least some of this will be closed discussion with the Council, but I don't see why you can't get started researching, Lead-san."

"I'm going to need to canvass the Uzushio quarter, too. It'll be discreet, Hokage-sama," she said quickly as the Sandaime opened his mouth, "You know the collective knowledge of sealing here and in the Quarter are what we need to continue."

The Hokage took a drag on his pipe, considering.

"A discussion for another time, perhaps," Curator-sama's voice echoed through the room, "Lead, go ahead and teach him the Shadow Clone jutsu. Hokage-sama, I would be honored if you came to discuss such matters over a cup of tea with me in my office. Dean of Students, you are of course welcome as well."

"What am I," I asked, amused, "A potted plant?"

Naruto giggled as he sat back up.

"Don't you and Sakura-chan have some things to discuss?" Curator-sama prompted and I blinked.

I looked over to my tiny student. Sakura looked back at me, head tilted. I made my way over to her as the others exited the chamber, except Naruto and Lead-Keeper, who were still in the center of the seal, and getting started on the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"About that," I took a deep breath before placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I debated telling you this, but figured you ought to know. Sakura, there was a kidnapping attempt on you the other night by Rock."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby cliffhanger! This is to give myself space for where I can start Sakura's chapter. Thanks again for reading!


End file.
